Burning Desire
by Starfire Tamaran
Summary: Taryn Armstrong is Will's cousin, taken in at a young age by the Commander and Jetstream after her parents tried to destroy the city. On her first day at Sky High, she catches the eye of a certain bad boy in stripes. What happens when she eventually finds herself wanting him as well? Will she succeed in becoming a hero? Or will she succumb to the dark side?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: What's up Sky High fans? So, as you can see, Sky High is one of my favorite superhero movies. I've been brainstorming this idea for quite a while now and I finally decided to give it a shot. Enjoy and please review! :D**_

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" came the cheery voice of my Aunt Josie as she entered my room.

"Meh, just five more minutes, Aunt Josie," I grumbled, pulling the blanket over my head.

She pulled the blanket off me and shook her head, "No can do, Taryn. It's your first day and I'm sure you don't want to be late, right?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, I sat up and rubbed my eyes, "What time is the bus coming again?"

She smiled and kissed my forehead, "It should be here in the next half hour, so you better get going. There's breakfast downstairs already," with that, she got up and left my room.

My name is Taryn Armstrong, and yes, I am related to the Strongholds. Why was I living with them instead of my own parents you ask? Well, let me give you the backstory. My parents were actually very nice people at one point. Then, not long after I turned eleven, they decided to become two of the world's deadliest supervillains for reasons unbeknownst to me. My father was known as Cosmos, he got the name because he had the ability manipulate cosmic fire. My mother, on the other hand, was known as Psychokinetica, able to manipulate objects with her mind.

Sure enough, the Commander and Jetstream had my parents put in jail for life and told me that I probably wouldn't get to visit them. After that, I couldn't help but wonder whose powers I would get, my mom's or my dad's? My question was answered about a year later. Will and I were having a stupid argument over the TV remote. I got so mad that I ended up releasing a cosmic fire blast from my hand and almost launched him through the wall. I was lucky that Will had quick reflexes at the time or else he most likely would've wound up in the ER. However, the last thing Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve wanted was for me to be like my father so they took it upon themselves to train me so that I could control my powers. Needless to say, I was very glad for that. Now, at sixteen, I was starting my first year at Sky High as a sophomore.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate on the counter and took a bite of it. Turning my head, I saw Will and Layla watching the Commander and Jetstream defeat a giant robot on the news. As superheroes, defeating villains nonstop was all in a day's work for them.

"They are good," Will remarked, turning the TV off. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him; his parents had such high expectations for him and he hadn't even told them the bad news. I was the only one who knew that he hadn't received his powers yet.

After leaving the house and headed towards the bus-stop, waving at the neighbors as we walked by.

"Now I know it's just our first day, but I can't wait to graduate and start saving mankind. And womankind. And animalkind," Layla beamed.

"Let's not forget about the rain forest," I quipped.

"Of course!" she nodded in agreement, "I just feel really good about this year."

"Yeah, should be great," Will muttered as we arrived at the bus-stop. It wasn't long before the bus pulled up. The doors opened and Will walked up the steps first, followed by myself and Layla.

"Is this the bus to Sky High?" Will asked hopefully, causing everyone on the bus to look at him incredulously.

"SHH! Are you crazy?!" the bus driver snapped, immediately closing the doors behind us, "I guess want every supervillain in the neighborhood to know we're here!"

"No, I'm sorry," Will muttered, apologetically.

The bus drive gave Will a skeptical look, "What's your name, freshman?"

"Um, Will Stronghold," Will replied. Oh boy, here we go….

The bus driver gulped, his eyes widening like a little kid on Christmas. He quickly got up from his seat and faced the bus, "Hey everyone! This is Will Stronghold! Son of the Commander and Jetstream!"

Then he eagerly shook Will's hand and introduced himself as Ron Wilson-Bus Driver. Now I was really hoping he wouldn't know who I was as well. That wish was quickly tossed out the window once he looked at me.

"Y-you're the daughter of Cosmos and Psychokinetica!" he gasped, immediately dropping Will's hand to grab my own, "I-If there's anything I can do to make your journey more c-comfortable please l-let me know," he said nervously, obviously thinking that I was just as insane as my parents.

"Um, thanks. For the record, I'm nothing like my parents and I don't intend to be," I replied, giving him a reassuring smile as I pulled my hand away.

Ron just nodded and turned to the two kids in the front row. A black kid clad in orange and a girl dressed in purple and black.

"You two, up. The seat behind Ron Wilson belongs to Will Stronghold and Taryn Armstrong," he ordered.

The kid in orange got up immediately and smiled at us, "It would be an honor. I'm Ethan, by the way," he said before looking at the girl sitting next to him, "Magenta get up."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, I can't believe I have to give up my seat for Stronghold and his girlfriend."

I shook my head and laughed a bit, "I'm his cousin, not his girlfriend. That's his girlfriend," I pointed to Layla, who immediately elbowed me in the stomach.

I rolled my eyes as her and Will tried to explain that they were 'just friends.' Please, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Layla had the worst crush in the world on Will. Sadly, he still had yet to realize it.

After insisting that Ethan and Magenta should keep their seats up front, I moved to the back of the bus and sat down. We had only been driving for about five minutes before jerking to a stop, which sent all of us flying forward in our seats. After the kid got on the bus, Ron closed the doors and looked at us, "Next stop, Sky High!"

The bus started moving again and I sighed in relief and leaned back in my seat. Next thing I knew, he pulled a lever and seat belts flew out of our seats and strapped us in. What the fuck is going on?!

The bus sped forward, driving off the bridge and right into the air. The entire bus screamed, myself included, as we began to plummet to our deaths. To our surprise, the bus suddenly grew wings and started to fly upwards.

* * *

Within minutes, we were hovering over what appeared to be Sky High. It looked like any other high school, minus the fact that it was floating about a thousand feet in the air of course. Ron started making a speech about the school being in constant motion and something about 'anti-gravitational propulsion,' but I was too mesmerized by the school's view to care.

Ron slowly lowered the bus to the ground, which ended up shaking due to a rough landing.

"Sorry!" he called, obviously trying to make up for the not-so 'smooth and easy' landing.

Grabbing my bag, I walked towards the front and followed Will and Layla off the bus. Before we got off, Ron told Will and me that the bus was always there for us if we were ever late and gave us each a business card with his name and number on it. I tucked the card away in my bag and Will tucked his in his wallet.

We walked up the pathway to the steps of the school, taking the time to observe our surroundings. A couple of guys were using their heat vision to zap a girl in the ass, who instantly spun around and froze them solid. Then we passed by the cheerleading team… which turned out to be one girl who had the ability to replicate herself.

_This is gonna be an interesting year _I thought as we continued to walk towards the school. Then, out of nowhere, I found myself being pressed up against Will and Layla. Our whole group was getting tighter as an unknown blurry figure began to circle around us, trapping us in a vortex.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Hello my fellow readers! I just want to say thanks to everyone that favorited and followed my story so far. It really makes me happy that you all are enjoying it. I also want to give a big thanks to __**MusicLovingPunkAnimeGirl, Yugioh13, FishShips, and Flowerchild23 **__for all of your amazing reviews! You guys rock! One last thing I want to mention is that I am open to more suggestions &amp; feedback. So, by all means, feel free to leave me some. I really want to know what you guys think of Taryn, her power, things you'd like to see happen between her and Lash, etc. _

* * *

All of a sudden, the blurry figure skidded to a stop. The mystery person turned out to be a slightly overweight guy in a black and white track jacket and a black baseball cap.

"Hey freshman!" he yelled, "Your attention please!"

Another guy stretched down the steps and appeared at his side. He was a lot taller and leaner than his friend. He had long side swept brown hair and was clad in an orange t-shirt with a black skull in the center and a long sleeved shirt with black stripes long the sleeves underneath. He was very attractive to say the least, but he also seemed like a complete douchebag.

"I'm Lash, this is Speed," he said, tapping his friend on the shoulder, "And as representatives of the Sky High welcoming committee…."

"…. We'd be happy to collect that fifteen dollar new student fee," Speed finished as Lash stretched his arm out to Ethan.

"Um, there was nothing about a new student fee in the handbook," Ethan said, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"That's because it's complete bullshit," I retorted, folding my arms. Lash turned his attention to me, the edges of his mouth curling into a smirk upon doing so.

"Okay guys, very funny. I'll take over from here." I turned my head to see a girl dressed all in pink. She looked like the brunette version Barbie; all she was missing was a pink Corvette. She was very... preppy. Her hair was perfect and her clothes were spic and span. There was something…. off about her, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. She was way too nice and I'd seen enough horror movies to know that only serial killers were that nice.

To make matters worse, Will was practically drooling over her like she was a supermodel on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Never in my life did I have the urge to smack him upside the head for being so stupid, until now.

She introduced herself as Gwen Grayson and started to give us a speech about her experience at Sky High but I paid no attention to it. Then she started to lead us up towards the school. I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Lash standing right next to Speed with that smirk still plastered on his face. He mouthed 'call me' and made a pretend phone with his hand. Rolling my eyes, I held up my hand and gave him the finger. Unfortunately for me, this only caused his smirk to widen and he mouthed back 'when and where?'

Shaking my head, I turned around and headed into the school. Gwen led us all into the gym and then left after wishing us a good year. Then, a bright white orb flew over our heads and landed right behind a podium on the stage up front. It transformed into a woman wearing a white suit and a welcoming smile.

"Good morning! I am Principal Powers. On behalf of the faculty and staff, welcome to Sky High-"

"Yeah!" I looked over my shoulder to see a tall kid with bleach blonde hair in neon colored clothes clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Principal Powers gave him a stern look before continuing, "In a few moments, you will go through Power Placement and your own heroic journey will begin."

"Power Placement?" Will questioned.

"What the hell's that?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Sounds fascist," Layla remarked.

"Power Placement: it's how they decide where you go," Ethan explained.

"The Hero track or the Loser track?" Magenta quipped, sounding unenthused.

"The Loser track?" the neon kid asked worriedly.

"I believe the preferred term is Hero Support," Ethan corrected, trying to sound positive.

"For now, good deeds and good luck. Let the adventure begin. Comets away!" Principal Powers said before morphing back into a white orb and flew out of the room.

We all turned around to see a platform rising above the floor, with a man in short shorts and a track jacket standing on it.

"Alright, listen up! My name is Coach Boomer; you may know me as Sonic Boom. You may not. Here's how Power Placement is gonna work. You will step up here and show me your power. And yes, you will do so in front of the entire class. I will then determine where you will be assigned. Hero or sidekick. Now, every year there are a few students or as I like to call them 'whiner babies,' who see fit to question and to complain about their placement. So, let's get one thing straight, my word is law. My judgment is final. So, there will be no whiner babies. Are we clear?"

A few people nodded and others muttered 'yes' under their breath. Some were too intimidated to respond. But, of course, that didn't satisfy Coach Boomer.

"I said…. ARE WE CLEAR!" he shouted, his booming voice was loud and thick enough to blow a big gust of wind right in our faces.

"Yes, Coach Boomer!" Everyone shouted in unison.

He nodded appreciatively as a ladder shot out of the side of the stage and onto the floor. Then he looked among the crowd to get started.

"You. What's your name?" he asked, looking right at the ginger kid who'd hit on Layla on the bus.

"L-Larry," he stuttered, nervously shifting back and forth on his feet.

"Little Larry," Coach Boomer taunted, "Get up here."

"What's humiliating him going to prove? This is so unfair," Layla huffed as Larry gulped and slowly made his way onto the platform.

"So much for surviving the first day of school," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

"If life were to suddenly 'get fair,' I doubt it would happen in High School," Will said.

We all watched as Larry pocked his glasses and let out a barbaric yell, instantly transforming into a buff rock-shaped giant.

"Car!" Boomer shouted, pressing a button on a small device. An old race car dropped from the ceiling but Larry easily caught it in time and hoisted it up over his shoulders.

Boomer looked impressed. "Big Larry. Hero!"

After him, the kid in the neon yellow confidently made his way onto the platform.

"Did I say you were next?" Boomer asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Names Zach, Coach Boomer. Try not to drop your clipboard," Zach said, rolling his shoulders around a couple times before clapping his hands together and standing still.

"Any day now superstar," Boomer said, impatiently.

"I'm doing it!"

"Doing what exactly?"

"I'm glowing!" Zach exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Boomer said, shaking his head.

"Well, it's easier to see in a dark room. Maybe we could turn off these lights or you could cup your hands around your eyes and look real close-"

"Sidekick," Boomer stated, cutting Zach off.

"Um, are you sure you wanna-"Zach started.

"SIDEKICK!" Boomer yelled, using his voice to send Zach flying across the room and onto the floor.

Boomer began to pick more students to go up onto the platform to demonstrate their powers. Ethan got up there and melted into a big pile of orange goop, earning him the nickname Popsicle from Boomer. After that, there was a boy with six arms, an acid spitter, and a couple shape-shifters. Then Magenta stepped onto the platform and shape-shifted… into guinea pig. Boomer was unimpressed, at least hoping for a swarm of guinea pigs and ended up assigning her as a sidekick.

"You, flower child." He pointed to Layla. "Let's go."

"I-I believe in using my powers when the situation demands it," she replied curtly.

"Just do it, Layla," I mumbled.

"Well, you're in luck. This is the situation, and I'm demanding it."

"But to participate in this test would be to support a flawed system," Layla argued, "I think the whole hero / sidekick dichotomy only serves to-"

"Let me get this straight," Boomer interrupted, "Are you refusing to show me your powers?"

"It's more complicated than that, I mean-"

"SIDEKICK!" he shouted, cutting her off.

Then he turned his attention to me, "Alright princess, front and center."

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath as I walked onto the platform.

"What's your name?" Boomer barked, glancing at his clipboard.

"Taryn Armstrong."

"What's your power?"

"I can manipulate cosmic flames."

He looked at me for a second before shouting out, "Car!"

My reflexes kicked in as I instantly dropped to the floor, landing right on my back as the car fell down on top of me. Thankfully, I was unharmed and rolled out from underneath the car. Slowly, I got to my feet and raised both of my hands in front of my car, making it my primary target for demonstration. Within seconds, bright yellow-orange flames shot out of my hands, instantly engulfing the car. My hands tingled slightly as I tried to contain the cosmic flames in my palms. Once I felt satisfied with my demonstration, I lowered my hands and looked at the students, most of their mouths hung wide open after seeing my little performance. Layla and Will gave me a thumbs-up which gave me some hope.

Boomer looked impressed as well, "Cosmic Fire girl... Hero!" I shrugged and got off the stage as the bell rang.

"Alright, we'll pick it up after lunch, staring with you," he pointed at Will, who looked beyond terrified.

* * *

After grabbing our lunches, we looked around for an empty table. We eventually found one right next to the windows. I sat down next to Layla and shoved a couple fries in my mouth.

"Okay, am I going crazy or is that guy really looking at me?" Will asked in a hushed voice, glancing over his shoulder.

We all looked forward to see who he was referring to, and I could definitely see why Will was scared. Behind us sat a grungy, leather-clad dude. He had long dark hair with a single red streak in it that hung loosely around his intimidating face.

"Dude, that's Warren Peace," Zach said, shaking his head.

"That's Warren Peace? Layla asked in disbelief. Zach nodded. "Oh I've heard about him, his mom's a superhero and his dad's a villain. Barron Battle," Layla explained to Will.

"So where do I come in?" he asked.

"Your dad arrested his dad," Ethan interjected.

"Quadruple life sentence," I piped up.

"No chance of parole until after his third life," Magenta added.

"That's great, it's my first day of Sky High and I already have an archenemy," Will said sarcastically, "Is he still looking?"

Layla and I looked around him, "No."

Will peered over his shoulder just to make sure. Unfortunately for him, Warren Peace was still looking.

"I thought you said he wasn't looking?" Will said irritably.

"Well, I'm gonna go put my stuff away and take a look around. I'll catch you guys later," I stated, getting up and slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

* * *

I walked down the vacant hallway, taking the time to look at all of the lockers and the glass ceiling. As I turned the corner, I opened my locker and threw my backpack inside. Taking my crimson red lip gloss out of the front pocket, I unscrewed the cap and slid the wand across my top and bottom lip.

"So, why haven't you called me? That's a nice color on you, by the way," I heard a smug voice say beside me. I rolled my eyes as I closed my locker to see Mr. Cocky himself.

"Do you not know the meaning of fuck off?" I growled, only to have him chuckle.

"Yeah, but I'd rather fuck on," he replied cheekily and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him, "How 'bout it, babe? Wanna hang with me this year? I know we'd have a lot of fun togethe-OWW!" he yelled out in pain, releasing me as he shook his now slightly burned hand.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Lash. If you fuck with me, you're gonna regret it," I warned, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him down to me.

"Feisty, I like it."

"Go to hell."

"Only if you come with me, babe."

Letting out frustrated scream, I let go of him and stormed off down the hall with my middle finger high in the air. This asshole was going to be the death of me. That or I'd end up in the nut house for trying to throw him off the school.

"See you around, girl on fire!"

_Fuck my life._


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__Hello readers! Sorry for the delay, I had to have the hard-drive on my laptop fixed and unfortunately, all of my pictures and documents got deleted. The good news is that all of the chapters for my fics (plus my edits/pictures) are still saved on my account so I'm really glad I didn't lose those. Once again, I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorite and followed this story. I really appreciate all of the continued support!_

_**Yugioh13 – **__ Yeah, Lash is gonna continue to pursue her no matter how many times she tells him to fuck off or burns him XD Thanks! She wears a lot of pink and is extremely preppy, which automatically reminds me of Barbie lol. __**VixenOfMeiraz – **__Oh no, you're not rambling at all. I like that you've taken the time to give me some feedback. Don't worry, I'll try and work on that. I'm still planning out &amp; coming up with ideas for Taryn as a character along with her relationship with Lash but hopefully it'll all work out. Thanks again for reviewing! __**lillypad432 – **__Thank you! :D __**Flowerchild23 – **__Oh, you can count on it. He's not gonna give up on her. The thing about Lash is that he's very persistent. When he sees something that he wants, he goes after it. And you can guess what that certain thing is XD __**FishShips – **__Thanks, I've been watching parts of the movie and studying the characters so I think I'll be able to keep them in character and believable at all times. Yeah, that's most likely gonna Lash's nickname for her along with calling her 'Armstrong,' but I hope that won't stop you from reading. If you have any other suggestions please let me know. :D_

* * *

So, nothing out of the ordinary really happened the rest of the day. Well, other than Boomer finding out that Will didn't have any powers and wasted no time appointing him to Sidekick. This left him depressed the rest of the day. I didn't blame him though, now he had to tell his parents that he was a sidekick. If my parents weren't in solitary and if I had been put as a sidekick, well…. I probably would've ended up in the morgue along with Boomer.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, I stepped onto the bus and made my way towards the back. I took my iPod out of my bag and scrolled down until I found my song of choice. I smirked and closed my eyes as _U +Ur Hand_ by Pink blared through the speakers.

Then, my little moment of relaxation was interrupted when I felt something wrap around my waist… several times. I groaned, already knowing who the very hot but extremely annoying perp was.

"Oh, God," I mumbled bitterly, opening my eyes to look at him.

"I think you mean 'Oh Lash,'" he said smugly, putting emphasis on the 'Oh' and making it sound like an urgent moan.

"I'm about five seconds away from throwing you out of the window to your death," I snapped before turning my head towards the window.

He snorted, "Really, Armstrong? You're like, what? 4'10? 4'11?"

I glared at him for a moment before clenching my fist and slamming it down onto his crotch, "For your information, I'm 5'4, asswipe."

He yelped out in pain and squeezed his eyes shut for a minute before opening them again glaring at me, "What the fuck was that for?!"

"For being a dick, as usual," I retorted.

"Please, I bet if I asked you right now, you wouldn't hesitate to let me fuck your brains out," he stated, leaning towards me until his face was just centimeters away from mine.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yes, Lash! I can hardly resist jumping on you and letting you fuck me like there's no tomorrow!"

"I knew you couldn't resist me. So, when and where, girl on fire?"

Luckily, it wasn't long before the bus arrived at the stop and I wasted no time in gathering my things and walking off as fast as possible. But, of course, Lash managed to catch up to me within seconds.

"Stop following me, Lash," I snarled, picking up the pace in an attempt to get away from him. Using his elasticity to catch up, he slid an arm around my waist and gave me a cheeky grin.

"Now what kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't walk a beautiful lady home?" he smirked.

Since I wasn't about to risk freaking out the neighborhood by sending Lash through one of the houses, the only thing I could do was try and pry his fingers away, but he only tightened his grip on me.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, "Lash, you're the furthest thing from a gentleman. You're many things, but a gentleman isn't one of them. You are the most arrogant, cocky, immature, insufferable-"

"You done yet?" he inquired, unfazed.

Turning my head, I noticed that we had arrived at my house, which instantly caused my eyes to widen. I knew I would never hear the end of it if Will, or God forbid, Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve saw me with Lash.

"We're here, so can you take your claws off me now, Stretch?" I huffed, wiggling in his grip.

"Fine," he said reluctantly before releasing me. Then, he brought my hand to his lips and tenderly kissed my knuckles, "See you tomorrow, milady."

I felt my face heat up as he walked away and quickly shook my head in an attempt to snap myself out of the daze I was in. I scampered up the pathway to the house, trying to push all thoughts of Lash out of my mind. Taking a deep breath, I gripped the doorknob and turned it. I was unprepared to face the music if Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve had seen me with him.

I opened the door to see Uncle Steve looking at me with his arms folded and a stern look on his face. Dammit!

"Taryn, who was that boy you were talking to?" he asked, raising a brow.

"N-no one, just some jerk from school that decided to follow me home," I replied, my face reddening with embarrassment.

"Well, he looked like bad news. You need to watch out for boys like that, Taryn. Not everyone at Sky High is a saint," Steve lectured me as he headed to the door of the sanctum. "Alright, I need to talk to Will."

I sighed and sat down at the table. I knew that Uncle Steve meant well and was just looking out for me, but I wish he wasn't so… overprotective. I guess he was just trying to be a better guardian to me than my own father was.

"So, who was that boy, anyway?" Aunt Josie said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Like I said, he's a huge pain in the ass," I mumbled.

"Come on, you can tell me," she said, setting more plates and silverware on the table.

"I'd rather not."

"Alright, alright," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Okay, looks like dinner's almost done. Could you go get your uncle and Will for me?"

"Sure," I nodded, rising from my seat and heading towards the sanctum.

* * *

During dinner, Will looked even more depressed than before. Mostly because Steve showed him the sanctum, and since he assumed Will was already a Hero and had superpowers, he made it clear that he wanted him to be part of the Stronghold Three. I still wasn't sure if they wanted me to join them as well or go my own way as a Hero. Only time would tell.

I walked in Will's room to find that he was sitting on the roof talking to Layla. I made my way over to the window and crawled through it onto the roof.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," I teased, moving over to sit next to a still dejected-looking Will.

"Hey, Taryn," Layla greeted me with her usual cheerful smile. Will just gave me a small smile before letting out a sigh.

"Anything I can do to help?" I asked, although deep down I already knew the answer.

Will shook his head. "Not really, but thanks anyway."

"Will, you have to tell them," Layla stated.

"My parents are the greatest superheroes on the planet. Everybody expects greatness from me," he said sadly.

At that point, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a much needed hug, "Trust me, you're great Will."

He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Taryn."

Layla nodded in agreement, "And so what if you're a sidekick? It's not the end of the world. When life gives you lemons," she paused and plucked said lemon from the tree branch. I couldn't help but snicker once I saw that she had produced an apple instead.

"Make apple juice?" Will finished, chuckling a bit.

Layla looked at the apple and shook her head, "I can't make lemons, I don't know what it is."

"Yeah, but you have an awesome power," Will argued. "You could've easily made Hero with Taryn."

"If she hadn't rebelled against Boomer," I said sardonically.

Layla shrugged. "I'm not into labels. Besides, I think the whole thing is stupid. Dividing people into groups like that. I mean, what is this?"

"High school?" Will replied.

"More like hell," I mumbled, laying back and looking up at the stars.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: **__Hey guys, I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging like that but here's the long awaited chapter 4. I also want to let you guys know that I won't be able to update next week because for the first time ever; I'm going to Comic Con! I can't tell you how stoked I am for it and I'm so glad that I finally managed to get a badge. On that note, I also want to thank __**Flowerchild23 **__for reviewing! You rock! _

* * *

"Greetings, and welcome to Mad Science!"

The door to the classroom opened and a man in a white lab coat and rubber gloves entered. Holy shit! His head was enormous! If I were to look up 'bulb head' in the dictionary, his picture would be right next to the definition as an example.

"I am Mr. Medulla, and let me start off by saying that any comments on my head will result in a detention. Now, you will see that I have placed a seating chart here on the front table. So, if you think you'll be sitting next to any of your 'pals,' think again. The person you've been assigned to sit next to will be your partner for the rest of the year. Now, I want you to come up and look at the seating chart, find your partner, and get started on the first assignment: building a heat beam. Instructions on how to build it are stacked on the back table. With that said, get to work," he explained before turning around and heading back to his desk.

I got up from where I was sitting and made my way over to the front table, mentally praying that I wouldn't be stuck with a fuckwit for the rest of the year. Pushing past a few students, I slid my finger across the paper to find my name before narrowing my eyes to see who my partner was.

_Anson Livingston_

"Who the hell is Anson Livingston?" I muttered, raising my head to look across the room.

"Hey sexy-I mean, _partner,"_ an all too familiar voice whispered in my ear, which caused me to tense up.

"No fucking way," I hissed, whipping around to face him. Damn, I almost forgot how tall he was.

"What's wrong, Armstrong? Not happy I'm your partner? That really hurts, "he replied mockingly, putting a hand up to his chest and began acting like my comment actually hurt his feelings.

Shoving him out of my way, I grabbed the instructions off the back table before storming over to our assigned table. I had the urge to complain to Medulla, but that would only land me in detention. Of all people, why did he have to pair me with Lash?

"Say one more word and I'll shove a chainsaw up your ass," I seethed, the second Lash sat down next to me.

He smirked, "That actually sounds kinda kinky."

"I mean it, Lash," I growled, which only caused him to chuckle. I bit my lip in frustration before turning my attention towards the instructions for our assignment. "To be honest, I'm surprised you actually showed up today," I mumbled.

He quirked a brow, folding his arms over his lean chest, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You just seem like the type of person to skip class to give some poor kid a swirly, or jack off to a Penthouse magazine," I replied bluntly as I picked up one of the metal pieces on the table and attempted to build the beam.

"Nah, thought I'd stick around today. Besides, why would I jack off to that when I've got something so much better sitting right next to me?" he answered, wagging his brows suggestively.

I turned my head and glared daggers at him, "Lash, the only way I'd sleep with you is if I was drunk off my ass."

"Sweetheart, I am not that ugly. You don't have to completely wasted to hit this," he replied haughtily, his lips curling into that arrogant smirk.

"Even if I was completely sober, I'd probably be forced to fake it the entire time," I said scornfully, hoping I shattered at least half of that gigantic ego of his.

"Oh, believe me, you wouldn't be faking it. I've been told I'm a good lay."

"Says who, your blowup doll?"

Before Lash could respond, Medulla walked over and gave us a firm look. "Mr. Livingston, Miss Armstrong, is there a problem here?"

"No sir," we both mumbled in unison.

"Alright, I'll let you both off with a warning this time, but if I have to come over here again you will both receive detention. Now, get back to work."

I sighed in relief as he walked away. There was no way I'd last two hours in detention with Lash, I'd either kill him with my bare hands, or hang myself out of agitation.

"For the sake of my grade and my sanity, will you please stop being a fucker and control your hormones?" I snarled through clenched teeth.

"And if I don't?" he challenged, sliding his hand up my waist and resting it right underneath my boobs.

Without hesitation, I lowered my hand and placed it on his thigh, releasing the cosmic flames from my palm. He quickly let go and glared at me after seeing that he now had a hole the size of a doughnut in his pants.

"Told you not to fuck with me, Elastiboy," I jeered and continued doing my work. I froze when I felt his lips brush against my ear. "You can light my fire anytime, babe," he murmured huskily.

My body betrayed me as I felt my breath hitch. Calm down, Taryn. Calm down. DO NOT GIVE IN TO THE HORMONAL RUBBER BAND BESIDE YOU!

"What's the matter, Armstrong? Am I turning you on?" Lash taunted before trying picking up two of the beam pieces and trying to fit them together. Oh, so now he wants to help me with this impossible assignment!

"You are revolting," I countered, ignoring the need to tear my hair out as I glanced back at the instructions again.

"I'd like to hear you say that in a more intimate setting."

"Eat a dick, Lash."

"I'd rather eat something else, hint hint."

"How about 'hell no'?"

"Your mouth says 'no,' but all I hear is 'Oh yes, Lash! Don't stop!'"

Just then, the bell rang and I seized my bag and bolted out of the classroom. I was glad that for once Lash didn't follow me like a lost puppy. I guess he decided that he tormented me enough today.

However, that didn't stop him from tormenting me the next day, or the rest of the week for that matter. As if that wasn't enough, I found out that I had four out of my five classes with him.

* * *

The only thing that managed to cheer me up was the fact that Will was having a study session tonight. Although I didn't have the same classes as them, it seemed like the best option considering I didn't have anything else to do on a Friday night. I just hoped that it would be enough to get my mind off Lash.

"Okay, number one: 'a radioactive zombie is charging at your hero. Do you hand him: A) his silver-tipped crossbow, B) A wooden spike, C)-"Will was halfway through reading the options from the text books when Zach interrupted him.

"That's so weak, man! I'm already holding this crossbow, why can't I just shoot him myself?!"

"Because we're here support," Ethan pointed out, "And if your hero asks for a crossbow, you hand it to him."

"Or her," Layla added.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a hero and I think those rules are a colossal load of bullshit," I retorted

"Uhh, wouldn't that make you an anti-hero?" Ethan asked.

I shrugged, "If that means that I don't agree with the fact that sidekicks are given less credit than they deserve, then yeah, maybe I am."

"Nice to know there's at least one hero at Sky High who's not on their high horse twenty-four seven," Magenta remarked.

"Thanks Magenta," I smiled, high-fiving her.

"So if you kids are all in here, who's out there saving the world?" Another voice inquired.

All of us looked up to see Uncle Steve, or currently, the Commander, walking into the living room.

"Dad! Why are you home so early?" Will asked quickly.

"After I stopped the Superdome from collapsing, I was watching the game and I got to thinking; it's been awhile Will and I tossed the old pigskin around. So, I thought I'd hustle back home, but I see you, Taryn, and Layla have already made some new friends," the Commander said, gesturing to Zach, Magenta, and Ethan.

"It's an honor to meet you sir," Ethan said, getting up to shake his hand.

"What's your name and power?"

"I'm Ethan and I melt."

The Commander quirked a brow but was able to hide his confusion as he met the rest of my friends.

"Zach, I glow."

"I see."

He moved forward to shake hands with Magenta, who eagerly got up to do so. "Magenta, I shape-shift."

The look on the Commander's face went from confusion to excitement. "Shape-shift!"

"Into a guinea pig," she clarified.

"Great…. Great…" he trailed off before changing the subject. "Great! Really great! Well, I make a mean tuna fish salad sandwich, anyone want one?"

"Me!" I exclaimed, raising my hand high in the air like a child.

"Coming right up. Pleasure meeting you all, "he said before disappearing into the kitchen. Will bit his lip and took a deep breath before rising to his feet and following him.

"I'm gonna get a soda," I announced, getting up and heading into the kitchen. Alright, I'll admit I have a tendency to be a bit nosy sometimes but I really wanted to see if Will was finally going to tell Uncle Steve the truth.

"Does that one kid really, you know glow?" I heard Uncle Steve ask Will as I walked towards the fridge.

Will shrugged, "Sometimes."

"They have really lowered the bar some for superheroes at that school since I went there."

"Actually, he's a sidekick," Will corrected.

"Oh. Well that makes sense," Uncle Steve nodded.

"Actually, they're all sidekicks," Will added. I was hoping that the Commander would understand what Will was hinting at, but he didn't.

"Good for you, son. Kid of your stature hangin' out with a bunch of sidekicks. As a freshman? I didn't have the guts. And I can only imagine what your grandfather would have said if I'd have brought some of them home."

"You know, there's nothing wrong with being a sidekick, dad," Will defended.

"Oh, of course not. I used to have one Will, saved my life once too…. Oh what's his name…" It was pretty sad that my uncle couldn't remember the name of his sidekick, but I decided not to say anything about it.

"So then, you'd be fine if I was a sidekick."

"Oh yeah, sure," he mumbled before looking at me," Could you hand me that mayonnaise behind you, Taryn?"

Turning around, I grabbed the container and handed it to him. Will cleared his throat, "That's good then, because I am."

"Am what?"

"A sidekick."

"Who is?"

"Me, dad. Dad, I'm a sidekick, ok? I washed out of Power Placement," Will admitted.

"WASHED OUT!" Uncle Steve shouted before whispering "Boomer." I gulped as he slammed his fist down onto the counter in anger, causing everything on it to shake. Then he started ranting about Boomer before opening one of the kitchen drawers and picking up one of the many phones in it.

"No, dad! What are you doing?" Will asked.

"I'm calling the school! The tuition we pay them!" he said angrily, unintentionally crushing the phone in his hand.

Dad, don't! It's not Coach Boomer! It's me, ok? I don't have any powers!" Yup, the cat's finally out of the bag. Of course, Uncle Steve was shocked.

"But you never said…. I mean, you made it seem like-" he started.

"Like I had super-strength like you? But I don't."

"But you will, Will! You're just, you're a late bloomer! That's what it is!" Uncle Steve insisted, putting his hands on Will's shoulders.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't care. Because, really, the fact of the matter is I'm proud to be a sidekick. Actually, I'm proud to be hero support." Will walked out of the kitchen and I couldn't have been more proud of him. Opening the fridge, I grabbed a coke bottle out.

"Did you know this whole time?" Uncle Steve inquired, turning his attention to me. Oh lovely, another lecture.

"Yeah, I did," I mumbled before walking out of the kitchen as quickly as possible and upstairs to my room.

_**Please Review! :D**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **__What's up, guys? Wow, it has been too long since I last updated and I'm sorry I left you all hanging like that. However, I also want to thank you all for the continued support and helpful feedback. It really means a lot to me. :D_

_**Flowerchild23 – **__Thanks! That's what I was aiming for XD  
_

_**IronhideLvr5513 – **__Thank you so much! :)_

_**The souless ones – **__Thank you! That's definitely what his personality is like. He comes off as a complete douchebag, but he can be sweet when he wants to be. There'll eventually be some romance between the two of them, but for now, they're gonna be at each other's throats XD_

_**She-wolf Demon – **__Thanks a lot! Don't worry, I intend to! :D_

* * *

I tried to forget about last night's events as I sat down next to Magenta on the bus. On top of that, I couldn't get Lash out of my head. I don't know what it was, but there was just something about him that was so… irresistible... STOP THINKING LIKE THAT, TARYN! YOU DON'T LIKE HIM! IT'S JUST THE TEENAGE HORMONES FROM HELL TALKING!

"You alright, Taryn?" Magenta's deep, monotone voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"What? Oh yeah, never better," I lied.

"Thinking of Lash again?" she asked, quirking a brow.

I laughed incredulously and shook my head. "That douchebag? Of course not! Why would I be thinking about him?"

She shrugged. "If you say so, but don't worry, I won't tell Will."

Before I could reply, the bus landed on the ground. Ron stopped the bus and opened the front doors.

"Welcome to Sky High-"

All of a sudden, a black and white striped arm stretched itself onto the bus and snatched Ron's hat right off his head. Ron got up from his seat and ran off the bus, looking for whoever took his hat. Damn, and here I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with Lash today.

Sighing, I followed Will and Layla off the bus. We watched as Ron stood there helplessly on the grass, trying to get Speed to stop his Speedy Gonzales antics and give him his hat back.

"Hey, big boy, where's your hat?" Lash taunted. "Hey, where's your hat?"

"Come on, if you're not gonna respect me, at least respect the hat!" Ron begged.

"Guys, guys, come on. Give Ron his hat back," Will said.

Lash shook his head, and turned his attention to me and smirked as if to say "Got a problem, Armstrong?"

I met his gaze and smirked back for a few seconds, before I quickly turned my head and raised my hand in Speed's direction. The cosmic flames shot out of my fingertips and hit Speed right in the ass.

"OWW! SON OF A BITCH!" He shrieked, instantly dropping to the ground and rolling around in an attempt to put the flames out.

With a giggle, I sauntered over to him and snatched the hat off his head and handed it to Ron.

"Thanks, Taryn," Ron said, securely putting his hat back on his head.

"You're mine, Armstrong!" Speed yelled angrily. Just as he was about to lunge at me, Lash held him back and whispered something in his ear, which was enough to calm Speed down. However, I still kept my guard up because Lash kept looking at me as he while did so.

"You better watch your back from now on, Armstrong," Speed warned, glaring at me.

I laughed sardonically. "And you better watch your balls, Speed."

Speed rolled his eyes and Lash smirked at us. "We'll catch you later Stronghold... Armstong." Lash blew me a kiss before turning around and racing Speed up the steps.

Surprisingly, I didn't have to deal with Lash or Speed for the rest of the morning. Lash didn't even harass me like he normally did whenever we had class together. Now, I was beginning to worry. What the hell were they up to? I had the sinking feeling that whatever they were planning was either going to result in me getting a detention or suspended.

* * *

I tried to keep my thoughts at bay as I walked into the lunchroom. Just as I was about to grab one of the trays off the stand, I caught a glimpse of Lash's arm slithering underneath the tables. I clenched my fists as he grabbed Will's ankle and tripped him.

Will's tray (along with his food) landed on none other than Warren Peace's table. Will stumbled backwards as Warren whirled around and glared at him.

"Uhh, sorry," Will gulped.

"You will be," Warren growled.

Will tried to reason with him. "Alright, let's not do this..."

"You think you could do whatever you want just cause your name's Stronghold?!" Warren demanded, his temper flaring.

"I'm sorry that my dad put your dad in jail, but-" Will was cut off by Warren grabbing him by the shirt and glaring hatefully into his eyes.

"Nobody talks about my father," Warren said darkly. My eyes widened as Warren suddenly powered up, setting both of his hands ablaze.

I knew that I had to do something or else Will was gonna get barbecued. Plus, I wouldn't hear the end of it if the Commander and Jetstream found out that their son had been burned to a crisp while his cousin just watched it all like a dumbass.

Not wasting another minute, I bolted towards Will and Warren, prepared to break up this fight before it got out of hand. I just hoped that this school had really good insurance, because A) it looked like it was gonna take a miracle for Warren to back down, and B) fire vs cosmic fire is a very deadly combo.

My heroic attempt was cut short when my face hit the floor. Before I could even attempt to get up, I was yanked backwards and pressed against a chest. A low chuckle escaped Lash's lips as he wrapped his arms around both of us about ten times.

"Going somewhere, girl on fire?" he breathed in my ear.

My heart kicked into overdrive and I could already feel a blush creeping across my cheeks. "I don't have time for this, horndog! Either you get the fuck off of me right now, or I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life wearing an iron lung," I warned, the smoke already beginning to radiate off my fingertips as I struggled against him.

He pouted playfully. "Aww, but I was hoping we could have some 'fun' together."

"Trust me, you're not my type," I retorted.

"I'm exactly your type, sweetheart," he murmured, sweeping my hair to the side, exposing my neck to him.

I gasped and closed my eyes as he pressed his lips against my jaw, kissing it for a few seconds before making his way down my neck. A moan escaped my lips (much to my dismay) as he lightly bit down on my skin.

I was brought back to reality when one of Lash's hands suddenly stretched out further, tripping Will again as he tried to make a run for it. In a flash, the cosmic flames emanated off my arms, forcing Lash to release me and rapidly shake his arms to put them out.

Lash gave me a mischievous grin. "What's wrong, babe? I thought we were having fun."

"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to play with cosmic fire, Stretch?!" I hissed, powering up again. Slowly, the intense cosmic flames began to slither up my arms as my anger rose.

He cracked his neck and his knuckles, chuckling a bit. "What can I say? I like to live dangerously. Come on, Armstrong, hit me with your best shot."

"Well, since you asked so nicely…." I put my hands together and pushed them outward, letting out a yell as cosmic flames shot out of my hands. Lash let out a surprised yell as the blast sent him flying backwards. He slammed right into the wall and groaned in pain.

Whirling around, I saw that Will was now crawling under one of the lunch tables. Warren jumped on top of the table and blazed the sides of it so Will couldn't escape.

Taking my focus off Lash, I ran towards Will and Warren again. Unfortunately, Lash recovered quicker than I thought he would. His arm shot outward, hitting me right in the neck with enough force to knock me backwards onto the hard floor.

My whole body ached as it made contact with the floor. I moaned in agony as I tried to get up, only to have my ankle grabbed and my body dragged backwards. I turned around and chucked a cosmic fireball at him. It wasn't enough to send him flying backwards, but it still made him let go. Not letting up, I began to violently chuck more fireballs at him, but he was slicker than I thought. He used his stretchiness to his advantage and dodged most of them, leaving bits of the cafeteria irreparably damaged.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" I turned around to see Will lift the table right off the ground, with Warren still standing on top of it.

"He's strong," Layla said breathlessly as she looked at him.

"I'm strong?" Will asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Will! You're strong!" I exclaimed, encouraging him even more.

Will let out a yell and pushed harder on the table before throwing towards the other side of the cafeteria, with Warren still on it. He then turned towards a now stunned Speed and Lash.

"Now, which one of you tripped me?" he asked. Speed took off like a bat out of hell and Lash wasted no time in stretching his arms out and lifting himself onto a bannister in the ceiling.

"Oh, no you don't!" I yelled at Lash. Smirking, I raised my hands towards the ceiling, unleashed the cosmic flames from my hands. My smirk widened as they hit their target. Lash was launched backwards and driven though one of the lunch tables.

"You're dead, Armstrong!" Lash spat, shoving the broken pieces of wood off himself before standing up.

"Bring it on, chicken shit!" I sassed back, flaming myself up even more for good measure.

People started to cheer more as Will as I's fights raged on. We weren't giving up, and neither were Warren and Lash. At one point, Will and I both hurled them right through the wall and into the teacher's lounge.

Breathing heavily, looked at Will, glad that we had won this battle. We high-fived each other and started to walk towards Layla, Magenta, Ethan, and Zach. However, our hopes quickly came crashing down as Warren and Lash, both covered in plaster, climbed through the two gigantic holes in the wall.

"Think I can't take a hit, Stronghold?" Warren yelled, his flames now pulsating out of control.

"Is that the best you've got, Armstrong?!" Lash demanded, stretching his arms outward, ready to attack.

I launched myself at Lash again, only to have him warp his arms around me and lift me high off the ground. His grip on me was definitely tighter this time, to a point where I had the urge to pass out, but I wouldn't allow myself to. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

My scream echoed throughout the cafeteria as my arms burst into flames. Biting my lip in concentration, I launched a massive blast in Lash's direction. Once again, he was forced to release me and I breathed in relief as my body hit the floor.

Pushing myself off the ground, I looked up to see Lash and a foam-covered Warren lying at Principal Powers' feet. She gave Will and I a stern look to let us know that we were now in deep shit. Really deep shit.

Oh no... NO! NO! NO! I am NOT, under any circumstances, spending two hours in detention with the epitome of an asshole!


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **__Hey, everyone! So, I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out and I hope you guys like it. Major thanks to __**The souless ones, WiCkEdAvEnGeD,**_ _**SnarktheRose,**_ _**Flowerchild23, **__and__** DreamHunterVo**__ for your wonderful reviews! :) I also want to let you guys know that I've made a Polyvore collection for Taryn's outfits so feel free to check it out. The link is on my profile. Another thing I wanted to ask is what you guys think Taryn and Lash's ship name should be? Since there's going to be some romance between them, I think it's only natural that they have a ship name. Anyways, let me know! And please review! :D_

* * *

My blood was pretty much boiling as the four of us followed Principal Powers down the hallway. There was no way I could spend two hours in detention with Lash without losing my fucking mind. I hated this. I hated this so fucking much.

"I didn't do anything though, he started it!" Will whined as we walked into the brightly lit, all white room.

"Your dad started it!" Warren spat. "And I'm gonna finish it!" He flicked his wrist and Will flinched as he tried to power up. Surprisingly, his attempts at trying to fry Will were useless.

"Don't bother," Principal Powers said. "The Detention Room neutralizes all super powers. Sit."

Reluctantly, we all did as told and sat down in the desks. Lash purposely moved his desk as close to mine as he could. DOES THIS ASSHOLE NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF THE TERM 'PERSONAL SPACE'?!

Principal Powers crossed her arms and continued. "Here at Sky High we do everything we can to teach you how to use your powers, but what you do with them though that's up to you. Living up to your father's reputation or trying to live it down." she turned to me. "Or trying to follow in both of your parents' footsteps is a sad waste of talent. Your talent. Try to keep that in mind the next time you're about to do something stupid." And with that said, she turned around and walked out of the room, letting the door automatically close behind her.

As soon as she did that, I stood up and pushed my desk all the way to the other side of the room. There was no way in hell I was going to have Lash invading my personal space for the next two hours.

If only Lash could take a fucking hint...

With a sly grin, he slid out his desk and began to push it towards me.

"Lash, so help me God, you take one more step…" I warned, clenching my fists.

"Or what?" he challenged. "You'll set me on fire? Look around, sweetheart. We can't use our powers in her- GAH!"

I abruptly cut him off by slamming my fist straight into his family jewels, which in turn caused him to immediately bend over in pain.

"I may not have my powers, but I can still kick your ass," I retorted before heading back to my desk and sitting down.

The room was silent for a few minutes and I prayed that he was gonna leave me alone once and for all. Sadly, my prayers had been ignored when Lash decided to scoot even closer to me.

"Wanna play a game, girl on fire?" he murmured in my ear.

"Go fuck yourself, Elastiboy," I seethed, slamming my head down on the desk in irritation.

"Nah, I'd rather fuck you."

"I'm about five fucking seconds away from punching you so hard, your teeth will bleed."

"Oh, come on. We're stuck in here for two hours. I know for a fact that I can keep you entertained. Plus, I'm sure Stronghold and Hothead can avert their eyes, isn't that right you guys?" He gave Will and Warren a cheeky grin.

"Shut up, Rubber Boy, or I'll roast you alive," Warren growled, his voice low and threatening.

"Just leave her alone, Lash!" Will barked, shooting him a death glare.

Rolling his eyes, Lash looked back at me. "Alright, how about a game of twenty questions instead? Fair enough?"

"Fine," I sighed, not in the mood to fight anymore. "You go first."

"Have you ever watched porn?"

"LASH!"

"What?! You never said anything about not asking dirty questions. So, have you? Or haven't you?"

"Alright, fine! But it was only because one of my stupid cousins pranked me!" I replied coolly. "I was fourteen at the time and was looking through my emails and saw that I had received one from my older cousin, Trent. Next thing I know, I'm looking at a very kinky, over the top porno involving a woman, dressed as a little girl at a birthday party, being fucked in the ass by a guy in a panda costume! There, happy!"

He laughed. "Wow Armstrong, you're into some really kinky stuff."

"Bite me," I retorted. "Okay, have you ever… gone skinny dipping?"

"Yup, I usually go in the summertime," he replied bluntly, shrugging his shoulders.

"What am I not surprised?"

"Because you _looooove_ me."

"Just ask me the next goddamn question."

"So unladylike," he chuckled. "First kiss?"

"No comment," I muttered.

"You've never kissed a boy, have you?" he asked lowly, his eyes flickering to my lips. "Wanna find out what it's like?"

"I'll pass," I quipped, folding my arms. "When was your first kiss?"

"When I was ten."

"Looks like you became a man-whore at a young age then."

"At least I have experience," he retorted, leaning over his desk until his face was just centimeters away from mine. "So, since we're on the subject, how far have you gone, Armstrong? Got a lot of guys lighting your fire?"

I swallowed thickly, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "I'm not answering that..."

"Are you a virgin, Armstrong?"

"I'm not answering that either, jackass!"

"Tell me."

"Fuck off."

"Tell me."

"Go to hell."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"Okay, okay you win! Yes, I'm a virgin! Satisfied?!" I yelled, my face beet red.

"Yup," he replied haughtily, leaning back in his seat with a triumphant smirk on his face.

Groaning, I put my head back down on my desk, wishing that these two hours would just be over with already. Unfortunately, they ended up being the longest, most aggravating two hours of my life. When it was finally over with, I ran out of the room like my life depended on it. It was a miracle that I was able to resist the urge to throttle Lash the whole time we were in there.

* * *

Words could not express how nervous I was by the time Will and I got home. This was mostly because I knew that Uncle Steve and Aunt Josie were about to tear us a new one for getting detention. Will, however, seemed to forget about the fact that we were in deep trouble and was more eager about finally getting his powers. So eager, that he accidentally ripped our front door off its hinges.

"Oh, way to go, Captain America!" I jeered and tried to help him fix it.

"So, Will, Taryn," I froze upon hearing Aunt Josie's stern voice behind us. "Anything interesting happen at school today?"

"Uh… Well, as you may have noticed, I got my powers today!" Will beamed, demonstrating his super strength by lifting Aunt Josie up.

"Yes, we know. The principal called," Aunt Josie replied, giving both of us a disapproving look.

"Okay... Look, it's not," Will tried to explain. "It's not as bad as it sounds. It's a really funny, great story."

"Just give us two minutes so we can explain," I said, backing Will up.

"Both of you nearly destroyed the cafeteria! And Taryn, the principal told me that you singed almost everything and put someone through a table!" Aunt Josie exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, but, Mom… I got my powers!" Will said excitedly. He was so excited that he sounded like had swallowed two bottles of happy pills.

"And do you know how to use them wisely?" Aunt Josie asked, her hands still on her hips.

"Sanctum," Uncle Steve snarled. "Now."

She sighed once they left the room and then turned to me. "What happened today, Taryn? I thought you knew how to control your powers by now…"

"I'm not gonna turn out like my parents, alright?" I mumbled, running a hand through my hair. "I didn't lose control. I was trying to help Will and things just got out of hand."

"I know you're not like them, honey," she replied, pulling a pan of casserole out of the oven. "I'm just looking out for you, but I'll change the subject. Let's talk about that boy."

"I kicked his ass and put him through a table today, what of it?" I replied bluntly as I followed her into the kitchen.

"Oh, don't be so cynical, Taryn!" she laughed, setting the pan down on the dining room table. "What's he like, anyway?"

"Well, he's good looking, I'll give him that," I shrugged. "But, he's… kind of a douche."

She smiled. "All boys go through the whole bad boy stage in high school. Your father and your uncle were quite the bad boys themselves at one point… Before they met your mother and myself, that is."

"And then they both decided to join the dark side," I muttered.

"The point I'm trying to make is: give him a chance. It may be worth it, and don't hesitate to invite him over sometime!"

"…. I'll think about it."

* * *

_~ He's telling me he wants me, and I don't waste another minute debating how the hell our relationship just went from PG-13 to NC-17 in less than ten seconds. An electric shock surged through my body as our tongues met. I kissed him as passionately and heatedly as I could and he eagerly returned the feeling. All the passion and hunger coursed through me as I gazed into his eyes._

"_Taryn," he murmurs huskily, before kissing me again. That's the first time he's ever called me by my first name, but at the moment, I had no complaints whatsoever._

_I pulled away to pull his shirt over his head. My hands roamed down his stomach and his arms, tracing every curve of his muscles. He lifted my shirt up over my head and wrapped his arms around me. I moaned as he laid me down on my bed and hungrily kissed down my neck. _

_He paid special attention to my stomach as he continued to descend down my body. I was practically shaking with anticipation. The intensity was building and I couldn't think straight anymore. I was losing my mind as he tugged at the top of my shorts. I lifted my hips just enough to help him slide them off. My heart was pounding a mile per minute and I could feel the ecstasy rushing through my veins. ~ _

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I was brought back to reality when the annoying piece of shit known as my alarm clock went off. Groaning in agony, I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. I couldn't help but wonder why the hell I had that dream. The worst part was that my body still felt excited and aroused.

I tried to ignore it as I grabbed some clothes and boots out of my closet and walked into the bathroom. When I was ready to go, I zoomed downstairs, ate breakfast, and left with Will and Layla.

Apparently, Will's fight with Warren in the cafeteria was enough to get him transferred to Hero classes. I was very shocked and happy when he walked into Mad Science. Having him here would hopefully take my mind off Lash. Speaking of Lash, he didn't show up to Mad Science today, but that didn't surprise me since he had a knack for skipping class. As long as I didn't have to deal with him right now, I wasn't complaining. However, my mood quickly changed when Will and Gwen started flirting with each other in class.

When the bell rang, I marched out of the classroom and towards my locker. After dropping my stuff off, I headed towards the bathroom to fix my lip gloss.

I opened the door to see Gwen and Penny looking in the mirrors, touching up their hair and makeup.

"Nope! Nope!" I said bluntly, throwing my hands in the air in annoyance and instantly turning on my heel.

"Wait!" Gwen chirped as I gripped the door handle. "You're Taryn, right? Will's cousin?"

"Who's asking?" I scoffed, crossing my arms as I swiveled around to face her.

"I'm Gwen Grayson, student body president," she bubbled, sticking out her hand. _Like I give a rat's ass_ I thought as I reluctantly shook it and quirked a brow.

"Oh, and this is Penny," she smiled and pointed to the dark skinned, shorter brunette beside her. Penny smiled at me and I fought the urge not to roll my eyes.

"Look, it's nice to meet both of you and all, but I've got to get to lunch. I'm sure I'll see you both around," I replied before turning around again.

"Well actually," Gwen quickly walked in front of me as I reached for the door handle. "We were hoping you'd join us for lunch today. There's an open spot at our table and we'd love to hear all the details about your fight with Lash. By the way, do you like him?"

_What the fuck? _Once again, I tried to keep my temper under control as I smirked at her. "Actually, I've decided to sit with my friends today. So, thanks, but no thanks. And as far as the situation between Lash and I goes, it's really none of your goddamn business."

She kept her mouth shut and moved out of the way so I could get the hell out of there. That little conversation only made me become more wary of her and Penny. But the real question of the day was: why the hell does she care about Lash and I?

* * *

"Guys! Guys! Over here!" Will called out, gesturing us to the empty seats at Gwen's table. Dammit Will, of all places to sit, you choose to sit with The Plastics?!

"Will? Sitting with Gwen Grayson?" Magenta asked in astonishment.

"Shocking, isn't it? I thought he had standards," I retorted.

"Man aims high. Gotta give him that," Zach commented.

As soon as we got to the table, Penny purposely multiplied herself so her clones took up all the space. "Sorry. All full," she said with a smirk. I couldn't hold my composure anymore, and it started to show when my tray slowly began to disintegrate.

"That's okay," Layla said, trying to sound positive. "Uh, I think I see an empty table over there. Come on, guys."

We managed to find a table nearby and sat down. I looked over at Will, who now looked very guilty. For the first time, things were pretty quiet at our table. The tension was thick enough to cut with a machete.

* * *

After I'd finished eating, I really needed to blow off some steam. So, I decided to cruise the halls in order to clear my head. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard someone around the corner.

"Just shut up and get in the damn locker, glow stick!"

"Yeah, stop squirming and maybe we'll have mercy on you!"

So much for blowing off some steam...

I ran around the corner and saw Lash slam the locker shut, trapping poor Zach in it. An yellow-orange glow coated my palms and I unleashed a wave of cosmic fire at Speed. He yelled in pain as he landed on his back on the other side of the wall, anxiously trying to put the cosmic flames out.

Lash stretched his arms out and went to grab me, but I ducked out the way and released another wave of cosmic fire from my hands, slamming him into one of the lockers.

"How do you like that, huh, Lash?! Big tough bully, huh?!" I yelled, kicking him in the stomach followed by his groin few times. "A piece of shit is what you are! Come 'ere!"

Before I could do anymore damage, he rolled out of the way and kicked me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I stumbled backwards and tried to regain my balance. Unfortunately, I was unable to continue my beatdown on Lash. This was due to Speed suddenly running down the hall and viciously knocking me down. Dammit, I really needed to start keeping both eyes in the back of my head.

Speed had my arms pinned behind my back in seconds. Lash slowly got to his feet and grabbed me by the chin, malice evident in his eyes. "You know, I'm getting pretty sick of you trying to kill me every time I fucking see you, Armstrong!" he spat.

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! Like I give a shit about how butthurt you are!" I yelled, squirming in Speed's vice grip. "Get off me! Get off!"

"Whatever happened to "please", huh, Armstrong?" Lash jeered, his hands now cradling my jaw.

I yelled in agitation and slammed my elbow into Speed's stomach as hard as I can, emitting a pained grunt from him and making him let go of me. I glared at Lash and flipped him the bird. "PLEASE THIS, FUCKSTICK!" I screamed, only to have myself lifted up and thrown against one of the lockers. I tried to get up, but I was in too much pain to do so. I felt Lash's hand coil around my ankle, and without warning, I was hoisted upside down in the air.

"Put me down, douchebag!" I yelled at him.

"Nah, I don't think I will."

"Come on, put her down, Lash." I hear Will's voice nearby, making me sigh in relief.

"Alright, _Stronghold_."

I groaned as my body hit the floor. Lucky for me, Layla was also there and helped me up. I thanked her and saw Will narrowing his eyes at Speed and Lash as they stood in front of the locker Zach had been stuffed into, which was now glowing.

"Zach too," Will told them.

Scowling, they both moved aside and Lash opened his locker. Zach stumbled out and glared at them. "Not so tough when my boy's and my girl's around, are you?"

Speed growled and feigned a lunge towards him, causing Zach to flinch.

"Oh, you just think you're so big and bad, huh, Stronghold?" Lash demanded.

"No, I-I don't." Will shook his head.

"Please! Will and Taryn will totally take you!" Ethan piped up.

"You saw what happened to Warren? You want a piece of that?" Zach challenged. "And if I recall correctly, Taryn wiped the floor with you Lash and she drove you through a table! So bring it on!"

"You two better watch it or that big mouth is gonna get you in a lot of trouble. Your cousin already learned the hard way, Stronghold," Speed snarled.

"I didn't say anything!" Will said, trying to avoid another fight, which at this point was clearly inevitable.

"Why don't we settle this in P.E.?" Speed suggested.

"You're on! If Will and Taryn beat you in Save the Citizen, you lay off the sidekicks for the rest of the year!" Ethan replied.

"Yeah, and if they lose, you can dunk Ethan's head in the toilet every day till graduation," Zach said.

"Yeah!" Ethan exclaimed, before realizing what Zach just said. "_Huh_?"

"You got yourself a deal," Lash said before looking at me. "Oh, I'm definitely looking forward to this."

"Good! I'll bring the table," I quipped. He rolled his eyes and walked away with Speed.

"Guys, are you crazy?!" Will yelled, looking at Ethan and Zach. "No freshman ever won Save the Citizen and those guys are undefeated!"

"And you barely know how to use your powers!" Layla chimed in. Will glared at her.

"Sorry, not helping," she replied sheepishly, looking down.

Zach gave Will and me a desperate look. "Will, Taryn, you guys have no choice. You can't let them dunk Ethan's head in the toilet. Not again. The dunking must end."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__Hey, guys! So, I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out, and there's a *big* reason for that, but I'm not gonna give out any spoilers so, you'll just have to read what happens to find out. Hehehehe…. Oh, and please review!_

_Also, when you guys get the chance, you really should check out this fic. It's called Mask by Megknsis. It is, by far, one of the best Sky High fics I've read. I promise, you guys are really in for a treat when you read this one. Especially if you're fans of Warren Peace. :D_

_**Flowerchild23 – **__Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter XD_

_**SnarktheRose – **__Oh, yeah, it's definitely gonna be one interesting battle between all four of them._

_**The souless ones – **__Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy that you're enjoying it so far! Trust me, there's a lot more amazeball moments to come XD_

_**Yugioh13 – **__Oh, thank you so much! And you're right, he's very determined when it comes to Taryn. And yup, I was totally channeling the Breakfast Cub when I wrote that scene XD I'm also really glad you liked Taryn's dream._

_**Megknsis – **__Thanks a million! Seriously, I think this is the happiest I've ever been. I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that you gave me feedback for each chapter. ^_^ Lash is definitely very persistent and when he wants something, he'll do whatever it takes to get it. Much to Taryn's dismay XD Yay! You recognized the Easy A line! I really like that movie. And the fact that Lash is it too (even though his character turns out to be a huge douche), makes it ten times better. Thanks again for reviewing and reading my story! _

* * *

"Five! Four! Three!"

The crowd chanted as Lash and Speed continued to pummel their victims, Lindsay Ramirez and Kevin Hamilton. Speed punched Kevin a few more times before Lash swung his arm out and sent them both flying into the nearest dumpster.

"Two! One!"

The mannequin was viciously shredded to pieces in the rotating spikes. Speed and Lash grinned in satisfaction and chest bumped each other after seeing that they had yet again come out victorious.

"Ramirez! Hamilton! Your citizen has just been mulched because you failed to defeat your villains," Boomer announced as he sat in a tall chair.

"Alright, next round. Speed, Lash, you want to be heroes or villains?" Boomer asked, although he already knew the obvious answer.

"Villains!" Speed said proudly.

"Ooh, there's a surprise," Boomer replied sarcastically. "Alright, who do you want to beat next?"

"Alright," Speed said, scanning the crowd. "We'll take little Stronghold, and uh…"

"And we pick Armstrong!" Lash finished for him, before shooting me a wink.

"God, I cannot wait to kick his ass," I muttered, reluctantly getting out of my seat and following Will.

"Good luck," Layla said to me as I walked by her.

"Thanks," I said.

After we geared up, we walked into the arena.

"Armstrong! Stronghold! You're the heroes," Boomer told us.

Nodding, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and glanced over at Will, who was currently busy waving at Gwen.

"Hey!" I yelled, causing him to flinch slightly and look at me. "Look, if we don't get on the same page within the next few seconds, we are going to get killed! You understand?!"

He rolled his eyes and gave me a nod. I swear to all that is holy, if we lose to these axe wounds…

"You have three minutes to immobilize your opponents," Boomer explained, cutting me off mid-rant. "And save the citizen! Ready!"

I stood beside Will and readied myself as I looked over at the mannequin, the timer, and our opponents.

"Set!"

I cracked my knuckles a few times, the smoke beginning to emit off my fingers as Lash and I exchanged intense stares.

"BATTLE!"

Instantly, Speed and Lash went into action. Lash extended his arm over to the lamppost. Speed took advantage of this and used Lash's arm like a slingshot. Next thing I knew, Speed crashed into me at full force which sent me flying towards the far side of the arena. My body slammed against the wall and collided with the floor. It felt like I had just been hit by a semi-truck.

Grunting, I scrambled to my feet and looked up at the citizen. I started to sprint towards the doll when an unexpected blow struck my chest. I yelled in frustration as my back slammed against the lamppost.

Two black and white striped appendages wrapped themselves around me and tied me to a lamppost like a Black Widow trapping its prey. Lash's face was just inches away from mine, and I tried to keep my breathing and my heart rate under control as he leaned in closer.

"Get off!" I hissed, thrashing in his arms.

"Make me," he said enticingly, resting his forehead against mine. SWEET MOTHER OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN!

My breath got caught in my throat as he reached up and caressed my cheek. His gaze shifted to my lips and darted back to my eyes again, asking my permission. My body betrayed me as I nodded slowly and closed my eyes.

"Hey! Hey! Break it up you two! There's no flirting in Save the Citizen!" Boomer barked, immediately snapping me out of my trance.

"Stay focused and stop flirting with the enemy, Taryn!" Will shouted from across the arena, just seconds before Speed knocked him over again.

Yanking my head forward, I headbutted Lash. He yelped in pain and retracted his arms, freeing me. I managed to conjure up a flamethrower-like blast of cosmic flames and blast Lash with it. He howled in agony as the flames engulfed his arms and part of his torso.

Lash rapidly patted his sleeves along with the rest of his armor to try and extinguish the cosmic flames. Before he could attack me again, I charged towards him. Jumping upward, I brought my body parallel to the floor and drove my shoulder into Lash's midsection, pulling on his legs a bit and forcing him back-first into the floor. The crowd erupted in cheers.

His chest heaved up as I hovered over him, smirking in satisfaction. Although his body was pretty much made of rubber, it was clear that that tackle had stunned him.

Pushing myself back onto my feet, I looked over at Will. He jumped up and slammed his fist against the gym floor. Knowing where this was headed, I dove out of the way so I wouldn't be thrown backwards again.

Will's punch caused bits of the floor to ricochet upwards; tripping Speed and chucking Lash into a wooden bench nearby. Will walked over to Lash and picked him up like he was a ragdoll. He tied Lash's arms around a pole about a dozen times, emitting fits of laughter from the crowd.

Will ignored Lash's threats and went after Speed again while I sauntered over to Lash. This was mega bitchy of me, but I was more than ready to shatter his oversized ego.

"I'd love to stay and chat, Lashie, but I've got a citizen to save," I taunted, pressing my fingertips to my lips and blowing him a kiss.

Whirling around, I elevated my hand and summoned a ball of cosmic flames. I stuck the floor with my fist as Speed ran towards me. Instantly, the gym floor was engulfed in cosmic flames. Speed shrieked as the flames came in contact with him. He was so focused on putting the flames out that he didn't even notice Will approaching him from behind until it was too late. Will grabbed the back of Speed's armor (which wasn't on fire) and sent him running straight into Lash. Both of them crashed into the wall.

"_Save me! Save me! Save me!" _the doll said, dropping closer to the blades as the time went down to ten seconds.

"Will! Throw me! Now!" I yelled hurriedly.

Nodding, he hastily grabbed the back of my armor and thew me at full speed towards the citizen.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Reaching out, I grabbed the mannequin and landed on my back. That's when the realization hit me: we won. We fucking won!

"Time! She's alive!" Boomer declared. "Heroes win!"

The gym erupted with loud cheers as Will walked over to me and helped me up. He raised our hands in victory and hugged me as everyone rushed towards us. Glancing up at the bleachers, I saw that Layla, Magenta, Zach, and Ethan were trying to get our attention. I pulled away from Will and pushed past the crowd to get to them.

"Congratulations, Taryn!" Layla said, pulling me in for a hug.

"Yeah, that was so awesome!" Zach agreed, patting me on the back a couple times.

"You kicked ass!" Magenta smirked, patting my back as well.

"Yeah, and now I won't get my head dunked anymore!" Ethan said.

At that point, Layla let go of me and I grinned. "Thanks guys, and believe me, it was both an honor and a privilege. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a much-needed shower."

* * *

Once I was done with my shower, I wrapped a white fluffy towel around myself and stepped out. I opened my locker and almost lost my shit upon doing so. To my horror, my clothes and shoes were gone.

_What the fuck?!_

"Looking for something, Armstrong?" I turned around to see Lash leaning against one of the locker, his eyes scanning up and down my body.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?! This is the girl's locker room!" I shrieked, trying to cover myself up.

"And your point is?" he snorted.

"Oh, hardy har har. Seriously Lash, where the FUCK are my clothes?!" I spat, my face flushing with rage.

He smirked. "Let's just say that if you want something from me, I should get something from you first."

"Come again?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"You beat me at Save the Citizen and I really hate losing, so…."

"You want to get even," I finished for him, already detesting where this was going.

"Bingo. If I were to refuse to tell you where your clothes were, you'd be forced to walk around Sky High in nothing but your towel. As much as I would enjoy seeing that, there's something I'm gonna enjoy so much more..." I swallowed hard as he sauntered over to me. "If you kiss me, I'll give you your clothes back."

_Oh, fuck me_

"… I could beat it out of you," I challenged bitterly, igniting the cosmic flames in my fists.

"I like the sound that too, but a kiss will do," he chuckled, moving closer to me. "Make it count, Armstrong..."

The cosmic flames dissipated as he closed the space between us, his lips grazing mine. I clasped his face in both hands, our lips molded perfectly together. Everything in me- including the anger and the shock- disappeared instantly. I was in complete and utter turmoil now, my emotions were over the edge, but I couldn't deny that my first kiss was incredible. Lash definitely wasn't lying when he said he had skills in the kissing department.

How long we kissed, I didn't know. Right now, all I wanted was him. I made that clear when I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him closer to me. His tongue lashed against mine as he pushed me up against one of the lockers, our kiss becoming more heated and aggressive. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

He detached his lips from mine and savagely kissed my jaw all the way to my shoulder. I dug my nails into his shoulders as his hands caressed my thighs and slowly moved up my towel.

My heart was telling me to go all the way with him and have no regrets whatsoever, but my head on the other hand, was screaming the complete opposite. I ended up listening to what my head was telling me and pulled away from him.

"Alright, you got…. what you wanted…. Now, give me… my clothes back," I said, in between heavy breaths.

"Oh, come on, you enjoyed it just as much as I did," he retorted, fixing his shirt.

"Lash," I growled.

"Fine," he said scornfully. "They're on the bench just around the corner."

"Thanks," I mumbled, moving past him, only to have him grab my arm and pulled me into him.

"That was fun, we should do it again sometime," he murmured in my ear.

"Yeah, we should… When hell has officially frozen over," I retorted, jerking out of his grasp.

"You'll come around, just watch," he said matter-of-factly before walking of the locker room, leaving me both dazed and mystified.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I breathed, leaning back against one of the lockers and shaking my head.

* * *

_**A/N: Uh oh, looks like Taryn's gotten herself in a very big predicament. What's she gonna do now? XD On that note, I hope you all liked this chapter! I know I promised you guys more romantic moments between Taryn and Lash and hopefully this chapter satisfied some of your wants and needs. I also wanted to let you guys know that I will be putting a poll up on my profile regarding what you guys think Taryn and Lash's ship name should be and I'll keep it up for about a week or so. Please review! ^_^**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: **__Sup' guys? First off I want to start by letting you all know that I'll most likely leave the poll up on my profile for another week so more people can vote and then I'll be taking it down. Second, I'm really ecstatic at the amount of reviews I received for the previous chapter. It really means the world to me. You guys seriously rock! ^_^ _

_**Yugioh13 – **__Thank you! That was my intention and I'm really glad that you enjoyed it so much! :D_

_**WiCkEdAvEnGeD – **__Thanks!_

_**Megknsis – **__You're absolutely welcome! And thanks a lot for reviewing! It means so much to me that you loved the kiss between them._

_**The souless ones – **__Thanks!_

_**Flowerchild23 – **__Thank you! That's what I was going for. I figured that Lash was gonna get even with her one way or another, and what better way to do it then playfully blackmailing her into kissing him? XD Thanks again for reviewing!_

_**TripleSmashTwins – **__Thank you!_

_**Guest – **__That's actually a great idea. I think I'll do that for either the next chapter or chapter 10. Although, I may have it take place in the school courtyard instead of a garage. Thanks again for the idea though! I really, really appreciate it!_

* * *

As soon as I got done putting my clothes on, I stormed towards the closest restroom. Why you may ask? Because Lash left a damn hickey the size of Niagara Falls on my neck, and now I had to cover it up. I knew I'd only get an earful from Layla, Will, and Uncle Steve if they saw it.

Tearing my makeup bag open, I pulled out my foundation and loaded some of the contents onto a white sponge applicator. I swiftly smeared it all over my neck, inwardly praying that this would work.

I was so focused on trying to cover my neck up that I was completely caught off guard when I saw Layla walk out of one of the stalls. SHIT!

"Hey, what's that on your neck?" she questioned, moving closer to get a better look.

"Nothing!" I said quickly, dropping my foundation. My hand instinctively flew up to cover the side of my neck.

"That doesn't look like nothing," she pressed, yanking my hand away from my neck (which now had a good amount of foundation on it). "…. Is that a hickey?!"

"….. Maybe."

She folded her arms. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it was Lash who did that."

I sighed, knowing that there was no use in lying anymore. "Yeah, it was."

"Taryn, how could you?!" she exclaimed, looking at me like I just punched her in the face. "Lash is cruel, arrogant, and not to mention, one of the biggest jerks at Sky High! Wait, do you like him?"

I raked a hand though my hair. "Honestly, I don't know at this point. I mean, yeah, he can be a real douche sometimes, but he… he has his moments."

"I still wouldn't trust him, Taryn," she replied. "But, enough about him. There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked, ecstatic that she wasn't going to grill me any further about Lash.

"Well, as you know, we were all pretty upset about Will sitting at the 'popular table' and after lunch he came by my locker and told me he felt bad about it and wanted to make it up to me by meeting me at the Paper Lantern at eight o'clock tonight."

I couldn't help but snicker. "I thought he hated Chinese food."

She shrugged. "So did I, but he insisted."

"Awww! It's about freakin' time he asked you out!"

She blushed. "It's not a date! He's just doing it to make up for what happened at lunch."

"If you say so," I retorted, picking my foundation and sponge off the ground loading them back into my bag. "Anyway, let me know how it goes."

"You're not coming with?" Layla asked.

"Can't," I lied, making my way towards the bathroom door. "I've got a lot of homework to do."

I ignored her protests as I exited the bathroom. Now, I know it's wrong to spy on people, but in this case, I was more than willing to make an exception. I'd been waiting for Will and Layla to get together for God knows how long, and now that it seemed like the wait was finally over, I wanted to be there to watch it happen.

* * *

When I got home, I changed my clothes and re-did my makeup. Then I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked downstairs.

"Hey, I'm going to the Paper Lanter- HOLY HELL!" I stopped dead in my tracks as I walked by the living room, where I saw Will and Gwen sitting on the couch together.

"Oh, hey, Taryn," Gwen said, in a sickly sweet voice. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same," I retorted, and made my way to the kitchen so I didn't do anything that'd get me grounded for an eternity.

"Hey, do you guys think I could go to the Paper Lantern for dinner tonight?" I asked Uncle Steve and Aunt Josie as I walked into the kitchen, where I saw Aunt Josie pouring some chopped up vegetables into a big bowl of salad.

"Well, I was hoping we could all have dinner together," Aunt Josie said, turning around and looking at me.

"Yeah, but I promised Layla and some of my other friends that I'd have dinner with them tonight. Please?"

She sighed. "Alright, you can go."

I smiled and gave her a brief hug before heading toward the front door. "Thanks, Aunt Josie!"

"Make sure you're back by eleven! It's a school night!" Uncle Steve called after me.

"Got it!" I yelled back before shutting the door behind me.

Lucky for me, the Paper Lantern was only about ten minutes away from the house. Then again, we lived in a neighborhood where a lot of places were within walking distance.

* * *

I walked into the restaurant, which surprisingly wasn't as crowded as it usually was. I wasn't complaining though, seeing as it was gonna make it easier for me to see Layla and Will. I scanned the restaurant to find Layla, and, at the same time, I really hoped that Will wasn't gonna blow this.

"Taryn?" A deep, monotone voice questioned.

I turned my head to look at the person standing in front of me: Warren. To be honest, I pretty much kept my distance from him ever since the cafeteria fight. I know I wasn't the one who threw him through a wall, but I did try to intervene. Plus, I was related to Will so that pretty much gave him two big reasons to hate me.

"Table for one?" he asked.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Alright, this way."

He led me to a booth by one of the windows and I took at seat, and then looked around for Layla again.

"She's over there," Warren said, pointing to the other side of the restaurant where Layla sat… all alone. Immediately, my jaw clenched and I felt nothing but pure anger rising inside me.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him," I muttered, through clenched teeth.

"I take it she's waiting for Stronghold then?" Warren inquired, leaning against the booth. "Are you spying on them?"

"….. Yeah," I replied, looking down.

"Hey, I get it," he chuckled. "You're just trying to be a good friend."

I looked up at him and cracked a smile. "Want some company?"

"Sure," he shrugged, before taking a seat across from me. "So, where's Rubber Boy?"

"What am I, his keeper?" I quipped, blushing a bit.

Warren shrugged again. "Just thought he'd be here with you, seeing as you two are always fighting like an old married couple."

"Okay, you caught me," I mumbled, leaning back in my seat. "I…. I kind of like Lash."

"Just kind of?" he asked, raising a brow. "Could've fooled me."

"Alright, maybe a lot," I said, exasperated. "In case you haven't noticed though… He's kind of a dick, and my family and friends would freak if they knew. Layla found out how I felt about him and she gave me one hell of a lecture for it."

"Sounds like you're in a pretty big predicament," Warren stated. "I say that you should just… tell him. It's obvious that he feels the same way. And, who knows? Maybe then he'll also stop dunking freshman in the toilets and shoving them in lockers."

"Yeah, maybe," I replied, taking his words into consideration. "Thanks, Warren. I have a question though… Do you hate me?"

"If you're asking that because you're related to Stronghold, then the answer is no," he answered. "If anything, Stronghold's the one I have a bone to pick with. Not you."

"That's comforting," I said, glancing down at my menu.

"Mind if I cut in, Peace?" A voice inquired teasingly behind me.

I sighed heavily and tucked a peace of hair behind my ear before glancing up at Warren, who had a look on his face that said "Just say the word and I'll barbecue him."

"It's alright, Warren," I mumbled.

Warren nodded and got out of the booth. "Your waitress will be here in a few minutes. In the meantime, try not to kill each other."

Once he was gone, Lash slid in the booth.

"What are you doing here, Lash?" I asked, rather bluntly I might add.

"Oh, getting right to it?" he asked sardonically. "Fair enough, I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by and grace you with my presence."

"Lucky me," I retorted, looking down at my menu again.

"So, what's good here anyway?" he asked, picking up his menu as well.

"Personally, I like their sushi the best," I replied. "But if you're not into that, then I would recommend their Sweet and Sour Chicken or their Mongolian beef with noodles."

"Thanks for the recommendations."

At that point, the waitress came over to our table and took both our food and drink orders. I ordered a Coke, two spicy tuna rolls, two Boston rolls, two dragon rolls, and a side of vegetable stir fry. Lash ordered a Dr. Pepper and the Mongolian beef with noodles.

Before the waitress left, she set two fortune cookies wrapped in plastic on the table. Simultaneously, Lash and I reached over and grabbed them off the table, our fingers lightly brushing together as we did so.

"What does yours say?" I asked, ripping the plastic off the cookie and breaking it in half to pull the small piece of paper out.

"It says 'You will always possess a charm and sense of humor that attracts others.' Hell yeah!" he grinned, fist-pumping a couple times.

"Great, as if your ego wasn't big enough already," I muttered.

"That's not the only thing I've got that's big."

"…. I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear that."

"Lighten up for once, Armstrong," he snorted. "So, what does your fortune say?"

I sighed irritably. "It says 'Love is like war; easy to begin but hard to stop.'"

He smirked. "I knew you couldn't resist me. Just face it Armstrong, there's something going on between us and you know it."

"Careful Lash, your ego is showing," I quipped, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Just say the word and it's all yours."

Before I could reach over the table and throttle him, the waitress came back and set our food and drinks on the table.

"Damn, had I known you were coming, I would've brought more money with me," I said, once she left.

"Don't worry about it, it's on me," he said. "Surely you've heard that a gentleman always pays on the date."

I folded my arms and quirked a brow. "Who said anything about this being a date?"

Lash's smirk grew as he leaned across the table to get a bit closer to me. "We're at a nice restaurant, having dinner together with no one else joining us. Sounds like a date to me, sweetheart."

Scowling, I picked up my chopsticks and used them to shovel a Dragon Roll into my mouth.

Lash picked up his fork and ate a few of his noodles before setting it down on his plate. "So, why don't tell me about yourself? I want to know everything, your whole story."

The corners of my lips curled into a small smile. "Only if you tell me yours."

And just like that, we began exchanging our life stories. Lash told me how he got his nickname when he and Speed met in kindergarten and that Speed's real name was Derek. It also didn't come as a complete shock to me when he told me that his mom is Elasti-Woman. Then I told him my story and how I'd been in school when I found out that my parents had been arrested. After that, I explained how I'd grown closer to Will and Layla as a result and that we'd been quite the dynamic trio ever since.

"So, do you hate them?" he asked, once I'd concluded my autobiography.

I flicked my chopsticks around and sighed. "For a while, I did. After they were put in jail, I thought that I didn't mean anything to them, and that if they really loved me, they wouldn't have done what they did. Then, there were other times where I thought I was worthless and I blamed myself for not being enough for them."

"That's really fucked up."

"Yeah…"

Lash was quick to change the subject, which I was very grateful for. For the next hour, we actually managed to have a conversation that didn't involve me wanting to tear his head off. As we headed towards the door to leave, I looked around again for Layla. To my surprise, Warren sitting across from her and it seemed like they were having a good conversation.

_Nice to know that someone's decided to keep Layla company tonight._

* * *

"I'll be walking you home tonight, hope you don't mind," Lash said suavely as we started to walk down the sidewalk.

"Why? Don't think I can handle myself?" I joked.

"Oh, I know you can, but since we're still on a date, it's only fair that I walk you home," he said, matter-of-factly.

"You're lucky I'm starting to enjoy your company," I replied sarcastically.

The rest of the walk was pretty quiet. As the size of the sidewalk decreased, Lash and I inched closer together. I didn't make any attempts to scoot away from him though. A sudden shiver ran down my spine when his fingers intertwined with mine.

"Are you still angry about that kiss?" he suddenly spoke up, once we stopped in front of my house.

I rolled my eyes. "If you call _that_ a kiss."

He folded his arms and raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Just saying, I'm not surprised if that's the best you can kiss."

He gave me a devilish smirk and walked towards me. "Oh, so you wanna see the best I can kiss?"

"As a matter of fact, I-" In one swift movement, his lips were one mine, kissing me with so much ferocity and passion that I thought my legs were going to give out right then and there. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I rolled my tongue over his bottom lip in an effort for him to open his mouth slightly, which he does eagerly. I tangled my fingers in his hair as our tongues battled against each other.

I was completely engulfed in a consuming state of euphoria, to the point where I didn't even notice the front door open. The next words I heard, however, were enough to force me to pull away from Lash.

"TARYN ISABELLE ARMSTRONG, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

_Well, Lash, it was nice knowing ya._


	9. Author's Note

_**Hey guys! The reason why I posted this Author's Note is because I wanted to let you all know that I won't be able to update for another four to five weeks or so. The reason why is because I'll be studying to test out of Intermediate Algebra (since I sadly had a very bad teacher last semester and ended up failing the class) and I need to pass this test so I can take Pre-Calculus next semester. I have two colleges in mind that I'm considering transferring to but they require transfer students to have a math level of Intermediate Algebra or higher and if I don't test out of Intermediate Algebra and take (and pass) Pre-Calculus, then I won't be able to transfer to either of them, and obviously, I don't want that to happen. Again, I'm sorry for the delay but I really need to focus on this right now. But, before I go, I want tell you all the results of the poll. *insert drum roll* Taryn and Lash's official shipname is... Livingstrong!**_

_**Wish me luck and I'll see you all soon! ^_^**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: **__I'm baccccckkkkkk! :D What's up, guys? So, the good news is: I passed my test! I'm so happy I did too, plus my finals are done so that means I can get back to updating on a weekly basis. I also can't thank you guys enough for your continued support, I really appreciate it._

_**Guest **__– Unfortunately, Taryn and Warren will not be getting together in this story. They'll be friends, but that's about it._

_**Megknsis **__– Oh, don't worry about it! Thank you so much for reviewing! Well, I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that Homecoming's going to be very… intense. I'm also really glad you liked Warren and Taryn's interaction, I wanted them to have that mutual respect and understanding towards each other, but at the same time, I also wanted to keep it on a friendship level._

_**Im a half-blood**__ – Thanks! I'm glad you think so! _

_**CrayCrayTay2**__ – Yeah, I definitely wanted them to have a lot of chemistry without it being forced._

_**Flowerchild23 **__–__Yup, I think this is the biggest FML moment for Taryn yet XD She's gonna have one hell of a time explaining this._

_**WiCkEdAvEnGeD **__– Thanks! I will!_

_**SoNotYourAverageGirl **__– Will do!_

_**Optimistic Pessimist that I am**__ – Thank you!_

_**JenRiley16 **__– Thank you so much! I really wanted Taryn to be very humorous and feisty, which clashes perfectly with Lash's personality._

* * *

Slowly, I turned around to face my now pissed-off Uncle and my somewhat ecstatic Aunt. I was officially bewildered. I didn't know how to explain this. The only thing that came to mind was "Oh yeah, apparently I had a big bug on my lips and Lash decided to kill it my slamming his lips onto mine!" But, of course, there was no way in hell they'd buy that.

"Well?!" Uncle Steve demanded, crossing his arms. "I'm waiting for an explanation, young lady."

"I-I-I…" I stammered, trying to think of a way to explain this without landing Lash in the morgue. "Lash was- Lash was just walking me home and…."

"Taryn? Lash?" I turned around to see a now very confused Will standing a few feet away from us. "What's going on here?"

_SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!_

"That's what I'd like to know," Uncle Steve said sternly, now narrowing his eyes at Lash.

"Why don't we all go inside and talk this over?" Aunt Josie interrupted, trying to take control of the situation before it turned into an episode of Jerry Springer.

I knew that there was no arguing my way out of this one, so I reluctantly agreed and followed them inside. Minutes later, we were all sitting on the living room couches, with Uncle Steve and Will staring Lash like they both wanted to tear his head off.

"So, Lash, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" Aunt Josie asked. "I mean, Taryn talks about you a lot, but I'm really interested in hearing more of your story."

"What's your power, son?" Uncle Steve cut in.

Lash grinned charmingly. "I stretch, and to answer your question Mrs. Stronghold, I'm a senior at Sky High and I'm in the same classes as Taryn-"

"And you spend your free time dunking freshman's heads in toilets," Will mumbled bitterly. _Like you really have any room to be judging right now, asshole._

Aunt Josie looked at Will and quirked a brow. "What was that, Will?"

"Nothing," Will replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I was just saying that it's getting late and I'm sure Lash has _other_ places to be."

"At least Lash doesn't ditch the people he cares about," I seethed, glaring daggers at Will.

"No, no, it's cool," Lash said, getting up. "I've actually gotta run. It's was nice meeting you both."

"I'll walk you out," I said, getting up as well.

Once we walked outside, I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "Sorry about that, Will's being a huge pain in the ass tonight, and he really doesn't have any room to talk considering he ditched Layla to hang out with Malibu Barbie."

Lash snickered. "Just say the word and I'll dunk his head in the toilet."

I shook my head and elbowed him in the chest. "Tempting, but no thanks. I'll deal with him later. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Looking forward to it, babe," he replied suavely, pressing his lips to my cheek.

* * *

Despite Will blowing off Layla last night, I woke p the next morning with a smile on my face, which rarely ever happened. I just couldn't stop thinking about my date with Lash. Deep down, I knew that it was wrong for me to feel this way about him, but I just couldn't help it. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I was beginning to really like him. Much more than I wanted to admit.

I was able to briefly push all my thoughts of Lash out of my mind as Will and I approached Layla at the bus stop, and she looked even more crushed than she did last night, if that was even possible.

"Layla!" Willa beamed. "You're not going to believe what happened to me last night."

Layla didn't say anything. Instead, she held out her hand which had a fortune cookie in it. I swear, if Will still failed to realize what he'd done to Layla then I was going to throttle him until he did.

"Oh, I love these," he said, carelessly taking it out of her hand. He bit half of it off and read the fortune. _"Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends."_

"Especially when said friends wait for hours for you to show up at the Paper Lantern," I retorted, putting my hands on my hips.

Will's eyes widened. I couldn't tell if it was the fortune or my snide comment that made him realize his mistake, but he definitely knew now. "Oh God! Oh, oh, I totally spaced…. I-I'm sorry, I know you must wanna kill me…"

Layla smiled. "Actually, just the opposite. I have something to tell you…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, but you first."

"It's about Homecoming," Will said enthusiastically. _This is it. He's finally going to ask her out!_

Layla's smile grew. "Really? Me too!"

"I'm going with Gwen Grayson!"

_OH, HELL NO!_

"WHAT?!" I screamed, my mouth instantly dropping open in shock. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!"

"I know!" Will said excitedly. "Can you believe it? Me, a freshman, going with the most amazing girl at Sky High!"

"….. That's awesome!" Layla replied with false enthusiasm.

The bus pulled up and I decided on sitting in the seat right across from Will. I knew for sure I'd probably end up throwing him off the bus (once we were in the air, of course) if I sat next to him.

* * *

Once we had taken off, Will asked Layla what her Homecoming news was, she said that she was going too, and when he decided to ask her who she was going with, her answer was…. Warren Peace. And of course, this didn't sit well with Will.

"Warren Peace!" Will yelled in disbelief as the three of us walked down the hallway. "You can't be serious! Layla, the guy's a psycho and my biggest enemy!"

"Just because you hate him, doesn't mean Layla has to," I said icily. "Besides, I've talked to him and he's not that bad. I think he's just misunderstood."

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh, not you too! As if you hanging out with Lash wasn't bad enough!"

"I could say the same about you and Gwen," I growled.

Will ignored me and turned to Layla again. "How could you go with him?! When did you even start hanging out?!"

Layla whipped around and gave Will a cold look. "Last night, eight o'clock: the Paper Lantern," she snapped before storming into the classroom.

With a sigh, Will slowly turned to me. "Taryn…"

"Will, don't," I warned. "You fucked up big time and I can't help you this time."

"That's funny. At least I didn't make out with one of the biggest jerks in school," he chided me. "Honestly Taryn, what do you even see in him? The only reason why he would talk to you is if he wanted 'something' from you!"

My hands began to heat up as I slowly turned around and stepped closer to Will. "I'm warning you, Will. If you don't bite your fucking tongue, I'll rip your intestines out through your mouth!"

But Will continued to lecture me. "Wake up, Taryn! He doesn't give a crap about you! He just wants to sleep with you and toss you aside like an empty can of Pepsi! I just hope for your sake that he's immune to STDs."

The more Will continued to berate me, the more I pissed off I got. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lash and Speed talking to each other by Lash's locker. What I about to do was probably the most spiteful and bitchy thing I've done in my entire life, but at this point, I didn't care anymore.

Without another thought, I shoved Will out of my way and stormed over to Lash. Grabbing both sides of his face, I crashed my lips onto his.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK?!" I heard Speed yell.

Lash was caught off guard at first, but it only took him about five seconds to respond. And when he did, he wound his arms around my waist and kissed me back with just as much intensity and hunger. A moan escaped my lips as Lash suddenly plunged his tongue into my mouth, and I retaliated by ferociously lashing my tongue against his and gripping the back on his neck.

Slowly, I withdrew, our rapid, even breaths breaking the silence between us. "Not that I'm complaining Armstrong, but what was that for?" Lash asked playfully, stroking his thumb over my cheek.

Turning my head, I saw that Will was staring at me with anger, shock, and betrayal etched all over his face. As I looked around some more, I also saw that Gwen, Penny, and a few other students had been watching my make out session with Lash. Right now though, I could really care less what all of them thought.

"Consider that payback for kissing me out of the blue last night," I replied mischievously.

He chuckled. "Well, in that case I should kiss you out of the blue more often."

"I definitely wouldn't mind," I giggled. "But, right now, I think we should get to Mad Science before Medula gives us a lecture from hell."

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, I told Lash that I'd see him later and made my way to the cafeteria. However, I was somewhat taken back when I saw that Layla, Magenta, Zach, and Ethan were sitting at Warren's table. From the looks of it, Warren wasn't exactly enthused that they were sitting at his table.

"Alright, what'd I miss this time," I snickered, taking a seat next to Layla.

"Seriously?!" Warren growled, now even more pissed off that another person decided to sit at his table. "Alright, does anyone else need a date for Homecoming?" he asked rhetorically. Ethan's hand shot up, but then he slowly lowered it once he realized that Warren was only being sarcastic.

All of a sudden, Gwen, Will, and Penny walked by and Layla let out a laugh that sounded more forceful than ecstatic.

"Warren, you are crazy!" Will looked at us for a few seconds, but continued to follow Gwen and Penny.

"Please, I promise I'll make this as painless as possible," Layla assure him, a hopeful look on her face.

"So, you're not doing this just cause you like me or anything? You're doing this to get to Stronghold?"

"Yeah…."

"Then I'm in," he grinned and leaned in. "But I'm not renting a tux."

"Hey if Warren's not here is this still the tough guy table?" Ethan asked, but no one answered him.

* * *

Over the next few days, Gwen and Will spent more and more time together (and I had to keep from barfing whenever I saw them) and Layla had made it her mission to make Will incredibly jealous. At one point, she even held Warrens hand and called him "cutie", but that only resulted in him burning her hand.

"How's "Operation: Make Will Jealous"working out for ya?" I teased her as she walked over to us, still clutching her slightly singed hand.

She sighed. "Well, I could've gone without Warren burning my hand, but so far, I think my plan's working."

"Good to know," I replied, leaning back a bit. "Hopefully he'll realize that you two belong together."

"So," Zach spoke up. "Word on the street is that you made out with Lash in front of Will a couple days ago…"

"Huh?!" Ethan asked, horrified. "Taryn, how could you?! He dunks freshman's heads in the toilets for a sport! Why him?!"

"Maybe you should mind your own business, Popsicle."

_Speaking of Lash…_

I whirled around to see Lash and Speed now staring at us with amused smirks on their faces. Against my will, I felt butterflies flying around in my stomach.

Zach scowled. "You guys better leave us alone or-"

"Or what?" Speed asked scornfully. "You'll start glowing again?"

Lash patted speed's shoulder. "It's cool, Speed. I've got this one. Why don't you go find some other sidekicks to torment and I'll catch up with you later?"

Speed looked taken back, but still nodded in consideration. "Fine, but you five better watch your backs from now on."

Speed took off and that left us with Lash. I couldn't deny that it was hard for me to take my eyes off him. His eyes darted to mine and then he did something I never thought he'd do… He smiled at me. He didn't smirk, he actually smiled, and I smiled back. For once, we weren't arguing non-stop or kissing until we were both breathless. As cheesy as it sounded, we were having a genuine moment.

Then, Lash leaned forward and tauntingly bowed before smirking and taking his leave. Lash should've pulled a John Bender and thrusted his fist into the air, because, in that moment… he had me. Yeah, ladies and gents, you heard correctly, Lash had me. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

But, of course, I had to explain to Layla, Zach, Magenta, and Ethan why Lash and I were suddenly acting so romantic towards each other. Next thing, I know, I'm telling them all about my date with Lash, him, walking me home, and us kissing on my front lawn. Now, Layla was a little upset at first that I had spied on her, but she became just as confused as everyone else when I told her about Lash and I actually spending time together without me trying to murder him.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Lash here?" Layla blinked a bit. "I mean, he has a habit of picking on sidekicks…."

"Yeah, but it looks like he's changing his ways… Somewhat," I replied, knowing that she'd eventually come around.

* * *

When I got home, I found a note on the fridge from Uncle Steve and Aunt Josie that said they'd flown to Europe on business and that they'd be back in a couple hours. I heard Gwen laughing upstairs, and, letting my temper get the best of me once again, I crumpled the note in my hand and scorched it.

I marched upstairs to my room and furiously slammed the door behind me. The only thing that was going to calm me down now was a very gory movie. So, I put Scream into the DVD player and kicked back. Unfortunately, my fun was interrupted when I heard loud music and the front door opening and closing about twenty minutes later.

_Is he seriously throwing a fucking house party right now?!_

Well, I sure as hell wasn't in a party mood so I had no intention of going downstairs. If Will wanted to get an earful from the Commander and Jetstream then it was his funeral, not mine.

Just as I was about to press 'play', someone knocked on my door. If it was two horny teens looking for a good place to fuck, then was more than ready to bash their teeth in.

"This room's occupied! FUCK OFF!" I yelled, chucking a throw pillow at the door in annoyance.

"It's Gwen!" she said, knocking on the door two more times. "I just wanna talk…"

Frustrated, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled the door open. "What do you want, Gwen? I'm in the middle of a very epic horror movie marathon," I said bitterly.

She smiled and batted her lashes. "Oh, come on, Taryn, why watch some disgusting movies up here all by yourself when you could be downstairs hanging with us? I know some of the guys downstairs are just dying to meet you."

I rolled my eyes in disgust. "Yeah, and I'm disease free and I'd like to keep it that way, Gwen. So, thanks for the offer, but I don't do house parties." I started to close the door, but she moved her foot in the way, preventing me from fully closing it.

"I'm sure you'll come around, one way or another," she chirped before walking downstairs. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to push her down them.

"Damn, I was really hoping to see a catfight." I heard a smug voice say behind me.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: **__Hey there, guys! So, first off, I owe all of you a massive apology for not updating in what feels like forever. Besides being busy on the holidays, there's two other reasons why I haven't updated: one, I've had quite a rough semester, and two, writer's block. Anyway, here's chapter 10! I hope you guys enjoy it! I also want you guys know that I'm gonna be staring my summer class in a few weeks, which also means slower updates. I figured I'd give you guys a heads up now rather than leaving you all hanging again._

_Also, if you guys want to check it out, I have a story coming out soon and the trailer for it is on my profile. It's a WWE fic and the pairing is Seth Rollins/OC. I've also made a few tribute videos for the fic as well, which are on my channel, and the name of my channel is Starfire Tamaran. Oh, and if you can, please comment on them. It would really mean a lot to me. :D _

_Oh and one more thing…. *cue dramatic awards ceremony music and me crying tears of joy* I'm just so speechless right now… This story now has over a hundred followers and favs, and this is my first time ever hitting the one hundred mark and I just want to thank all of you that have followed and supported my fic. I'm beyond happy that you guys love it enough to give it this many follows. Thank you all so much! ^_^_

_**Megknsis – **__Thanks! And yeah, Taryn was fed up with Will giving her shit so, at this point she was just like 'to hell with it' and planted a good steamy one on Lash as a giant middle finger to Will. Oh, don't worry, I completely understand! I Iook forward to reading more Gwenyth/Warren moments ^_^_

_**HarmonicSymphony – **__Thanks! _

_**Karateklair – **__Thank you so much! :) _

_**Optimistic Pessimist that I am – **__Yup, shit just got real in this chapter. There's only so much Taryn can take before she snaps, and this chapter was proof of that._

_**Flowerchild23- **__Yup! But, let's just say that Taryn's about to have her own party upstairs ;)_

_**Kittycat0521- **__Thanks again! And I guarantee that this chapter will be pretty epic._

_**CrayCrayTay2 – **__Thanks! :D_

_**Im a half-blood – **__Thank you! ^_^_

_**Female whovian – **__Thank you so much! I'm really happy you think so! :D_

_**jayyfallen – **__Will do!_

_**CosplayGaming – **__Thank you so much! I'm really glad you love reading it as much as I love writing it_

_**Anime-King15**__**–**__ Well, wait no longer, because the next chapter is here at long last! :D_

_**Twistedfangirl – **__Thank you! :D_

_**Skylart – **__Thank you so much! I really appreciate it, and believe me, you're not the only one who still loves Sky High after all these years. I still remember seeing it in theaters for the first time when I was twelve. At first, my favorite character male-wise was Warren, but the more I watched the movie (and the more fics I continued to read about Lash), he ended up growing on me and eventually became my favorite character XD_

_**SW7KMETPA – **__As much as I love Lash, I'm not afraid to admit that he can be a douche muffin when he wants to be. However, as you can see, Taryn's not afraid to kick his ass just to prove that she's not gonna take his shit XD_

_**QueenDisney – **__Thanks a million! I'll try to update when I can! ^_^_

* * *

Upon hearing Lash's voice, I whirled around to see him climbing in through my window. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find it a bit romantic.

"Lash, what the hell are you doing here?!" I demanded, running over to him. Surprisingly, he wasn't wearing his signature stripes tonight. Instead, his party attire consisted of a black jumper and khakis. I had to admit, he looked hot.

"Heard there was a party going on, decided to come check it out," he said smugly. "But then it occurred to that I'd never snuck through your bedroom window before."

_Oh God, the irony. I'm watching Scream and he decides to climb in through my window and start quoting Billy Loomis,_ I thought with an eye roll. "Oh really? Does that mean you just got done watching the TV edited version of the Exorcist at home too, Billy Loomis?"

"Have I ever told you how sexy your fiery personality is?" he winked at me, before shifting his body forward and swinging his legs over the windowsill.

"…. Douche."

"Thank you."

"Fuck you very much."

"Well, since we're in your room…."

"Ugh, is that all you think about?!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

He shook his head and a low chuckle escaped his lips. "No, actually. Because the only thing that's been on my mind lately is you."

"Why me?" I asked, folding my arms. "A lot of girls at Sky High are into bad boys. Which also means you could probably have any girl you wanted, and yet you automatically set your sights on me... Why?"

"Because chasing you is a lot more fun than having them just wait for me with open legs," Lash replied. "Armstrong, you've got this electrifying personality that well… drives me crazy, to sum it up. You're strong, you don't take anyone's shit, and at the same time, you're loyal and determined. Look, I'm not very good at this, but fuck it. What I'm trying to say is… I like you, Armstrong. I like you a lot. Aright, feel free to slap me, punch me, or throw me out the window now."

To say that his confession made me feel all mushy inside would be an understatement. It was then that I realized I wanted him in my life. "I-I… I really like you too, Lash," I murmured.

The second those words left my mouth, Lash leant down and pressed his lips against mine, pushing me slightly so that my back was against the wall. I opened my mouth and willingly let his tongue slide in and plunge against mine.

"I want you," he whispered against my lips before pressing his own against mine once more.

He's telling me he wants me, and I don't waste another minute debating how the hell our relationship just went from PG-13 to NC-17 in less than ten seconds. An electric shock surged through my body as our tongues met again. I kissed him as passionately and heatedly as I could and he eagerly returned the feeling. All the passion and hunger coursed through me as I gazed into his eyes.

"Taryn," he murmurs huskily, before kissing me again. That's the first time he's ever called me by my first name, but at the moment, I had no complaints whatsoever.

I pulled away to pull his shirt over his head. My hands roamed down his stomach and his arms, tracing every curve of his muscles. He lifted my shirt up over my head and wrapped his arms around me. Closing my eyes, I moaned as he laid me down on my bed and hungrily kissed down my neck.

He paid special attention to my stomach as he continued to descend down my body. I was practically shaking with anticipation. The intensity was building and I couldn't think straight anymore. I was losing my mind as he tugged at the top of my shorts. I lifted my hips just enough to help him slide them off. My heart was pounding a mile per minute and I could feel the ecstasy rushing through my veins.

"WHEN I COUNT TO THREE, I WANT EVERYONE OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

My eyes shot open, and the ecstasy that was rushing through my veins just a few seconds ago was now replaced by sheer panic. I looked up at Lash – who looked just as scared shitless as I did – and started breathing heavily.

Seizing him by the shoulders, I quickly tossed him off me, grabbed his shirt off the floor, and looked him dead in the eye. "If you want to avoid getting put in the morgue, then get in the damn closet and don't make a fucking peep!" I whispered urgently. With a nod, he pulled his shirt back on and practically sprinted into the closet.

I quickly took my hair down and tried to cover my neck with it (because God knows Lash most likely left his mark in more than just one spot), and silently thanked myself for deciding not to cut it before school started.

"Taryn?" more panic rose in my chest as Uncle Steve knocked on my door. "You still awake? I'd like to speak with you."

"Uhhh, come in!" I choked out, before pulling my shorts back on, plopping down onto my bed and trying to look as unsuspecting as possible… and failing miserably at it.

The door opened and there stood Uncle Steve –or, should I say, The Commander- walked in and sat down on my bed. "Have you been up here all night?" he asked.

I nodded, still trying to keep my cool. "Yeah, I have. You know me, I don't really do parties."

He chuckled. "Yeah, you kind of made that point clear when we threw you a party when you were eleven and Will threw cake in your face and you retaliated by trying to set him on fire."

I felt my cheeks heat up as the memory of that day replayed in my head. "Thanks for reminding me of how much of a hothead I am, Uncle Steve."

He raised his hands in defense and shook his head. "I don't think you're a hothead at all, Taryn. Sure, you've had moments where you've lost your cool, but that doesn't make you a bad person. Now, I know you don't like being compared to your parents, but trust me when I say that you're nothing like them. You've grown into such a strong, beautiful girl, a girl that your aunt and I are very proud of. You've also got what it takes to be an amazing hero, Taryn."

I smiled a bit and whispered, "You really think so?"

Uncle Steve nodded again. "I know so," he replied, patting my knee couple times before getting up and heading towards the door. "Now, about this Lash," he began, turning around again. "Look, I'll admit, I was a little out of line for being so hard on him like that, and I guess it's still not easy for me to accept the fact that you're growing up so fast… What I'm trying to say is: I can tell you have… feelings for him, and if you want to date him… Go for it. However, if he takes advantage of you in any way, I won't hesitate to put him six feet under."

"Duly noted," I muttered. "Goodnight, Uncle Steve."

"Goodnight."

Once he closed the door, I immediately blew out a sigh in relief while Lash sauntered out of my closet, and he had that smirk on his face… again.

"Not a word, pinhead," I snapped, holding up my hand in his direction.

He dragged his fingers across his cheek, making it look like he was wiping away a tear and mockingly said, "That was so touching, you two should really get an award just for that moment."

I playfully hit him in the chest, smirked and said, "You know what? Just for that remark, I'm not gonna finish what we started earlier." Plopping down on the bed, I grabbed the remote and pressed 'play.' The scene where Billy and Sydney started making out on her bed (or in Billy's case "doing a little on top of the clothes stuff") began to play.

That was when I felt Lash's lips on my neck again and his hands moving up my shirt. I gasped as he trailed one of his fingers between the valley of my breasts. This boy was officially going to be the death of me.

"L-Lash," I murmured, trying to keep myself from moaning as his fingers continued to roam my body. "Not now, we'll get caught… and I highly doubt you want to die because you couldn't control yourself."

He lightly bit my ear and murmured, "Fine, I'll stop… for now, but you can rest assured that I intend on continuing this."

"I'm counting on it, Stretch." I laughed, wiggling out of his arms and getting up. "Well, since we're watching a movie, I think it's only fair that we have some popcorn and drinks. Wait right here, but if you hear someone knocking again… Hide."

* * *

After I fetched us some popcorn and a couple cans of Coke, I jogged back upstairs and opened my door, almost dropping everything in my hands when I saw who else was now in my room.

"Taryn, what on earth is HE doing here?!" Will demanded, crossing his arms.

"He came to see me," I replied, crossing my arms. "And quite frankly, I could really care less how much you don't approve. Especially since you've got bigger problems to worry about right now."

"Yeah," Lash interrupted, stepping back into my closet. "I'll just let you two talk this out." He shut the door and I turned to Will.

"Speaking, of problems," he began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, don't flip out, but Layla's mad at me, and I also dumped Gwen. Apparently Gwen told her that she was holding me back and said that I needed to decide whether I wanted to hang with her and the rest of the popular kids, or with a bunch of 'losers.'"

"What a bitch," I scowled, shaking my head. "So, what are you gonna do?"

Will sighed. "Well, there's only one thing I can do now, and that's try to make things right with Layla and everyone else. I'm gonna go call her."

"Good luck!" I called after him as he walked out of the room.

"Thanks!"

I turned around and laid down on my bed again, allowing a yawn to escape my lips. That's when Lash walked out of the closet and grinned at me once he saw how tired I was.

"Never noticed how cute you look when you're tired," he said, casually lying down next to me and pulling the covers over us. "You sure you don't want a bedtime story before you pass the fuck out?"

"I'd rather not hear an R-rated story before I catch some Z's, but thanks for the offer," I muttered, scooching closer to him and shutting my eyes. "Nighty night, Stretch."

He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead and chuckled softly. "Sweet dreams, Taryn," he murmured.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: **__Hello all! I just want you to know how happy I am with the amount of feedback you guys gave me on the last chapter! It really means a lot to me that you guys haven't given up on this story and have been so patient with me. Oh, and if you're interested in seeing what they look like, the link to Taryn's dress and heels is in my polyvore collection, which is on my profile. With that being said, here's chapter 11!_

_**RubyFlash321 – **__Why, thank you! I really wanted to foreshadow what was gonna happen eventually between them. Plus, no matter how hard she tries to, Taryn just can't resist Lash XD _

_**Flowerchild23 – **__Thank you so much! I really wanted to incorporate a lot of Livingstrong moments in this chapter and I'm really glad you enjoyed them!_

_**flaca110medrano – **__Thanks! I really appreciate that, and trust me, I'll try! XD_

_**Yugioh13 – **__Thank you! They're definitely drawn to each other like a moth to a flame. As much as Taryn tried not to, she fell for Lash and she knows there's no turning back now XD_

_**angie110flaca – **__Don't worry, I intend to! XD_

_**IronhideLvr5513 – **__Oh yeah, Lash's definitely easy on the eyes, that's for sure ;) Sadly, that was the conclusion of the Taryn/Lash scene, but don't fret, they'll be more to come this chapter._

_**Guest – **__Will do! :)_

_**Mrs. Malfoy99 - **__*starts to cry tears of joy* Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That compliment just made my day and I'm really ecstatic that you're enjoying my story so much! :D_

* * *

Rolling onto my side, I opened my eyes and yawned. To my surprise (and disappointment), Lash was gone. I quirked a brow as something on the bedside table caught my eye: a red lily and a note. Leaning over, I picked up the lily and breathed in its sweet scent before turning my attention to the note and read it aloud,

"_Hey, girl on fire,_

_Sorry for not sticking around. I didn't want to wake you because you looked like you were having a very good dream. Probably one about me ;) Alright, I'm rambling, so I'm just gonna go ahead and cut to the chase, I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to Homecoming with me tonight? That is, if you don't already have a date. Although, I think it's safe to say that the answer to that question is most likely "no" after what happened last night. I'll meet you at the bus stop at seven-ish. Oh, and wear something smokin' hot (pun intended) ;) _

_\- Love, Lash"_

I had a smile on my face that was probably the size of Russia by the time I finished reading the letter. Who would've thought, huh? I was going to Homecoming with the Lash. We'd gone from angry, playfully arguing and trying to rip each other's heads off, to kissing each other until we were out of breath and actually having civil conversations.

That's when I suddenly realized something: I DIDN'T HAVE A DRESS OR HEELS! Then again, I wasn't planning on going to Homecoming until now! Shit, okay, I could do this. Operation "Find a damn dress and heels" has officially commenced!

"Aunt Josie! Aunt Josie!" I yelled, running down the stairs at a speed that Barry Allen would be proud of. "Look, I know I picked the worst possible time to ask this, but could you please take me to the mall so I can pick out a dress and shoes for Homecoming tonight?!"

She set the phone down and then turned to me. "Of course, Taryn. Ironically, I was just about to ask you if you intended on going with us tonight. So, tell me, who's the lucky guy?"

I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked down and mumbled, "…. Lash."

"I figured as much," she replied with a smile. "Well, all the more reason to find you the perfect dress. Now, go get dressed and we'll leave in say… a half hour?"

I nodded determinedly. "Deal!"

* * *

After an hour and a half of trying on probably fifty dresses, I finally decided on a black strapless one with a floral applique pattern throughout. It didn't take us long to find some shoes to go with, which I was very happy about.

As soon as we got home, I thanked her and jogged upstairs to my room to get ready. After I'd finished curling my hair and putting on some makeup, I glanced over at the shopping bag my dress was in.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully lifted it out of the bag and stared at it. "This is it, no turning back now," I mumbled, before taking off my robe.

"Oh my God, you look so beautiful!" Aunt Josie –or rather, Jetstream- gushed as I slowly walked downstairs.

"What is it?" Uncle Steve, who was also donning his superhero gear, inquired as he walked in. Once he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks and smiled. "You look great, Taryn. Now, as you probably know, your aunt and I are gonna be at the dance as well to accept the Hero of the Year award. Do you need us to give you a lift to the dance since we're about to leave?"

"No need," I replied, shaking my head. "I'm gonna meet Lash at the bus stop and Ron's gonna give us both a ride."

He nodded. "Alright then, we'll see you there. Oh, and have fun tonight."

"Will do!"

I tried to keep my palms from sweating as I made my way towards the bus stop. I couldn't believe I was getting nervous. I mean, this was Lash we were talking about! I never thought (nor did I intend to) grow feelings for… someone like him. It felt both wrong and right, but I didn't want to think about that right now. All I wanted to think about was how amazing this night was going to be.

"Holy shit," Lash murmured as I walked towards him, his eyes drinking in the sight of me. "You look…"

"Hot?" I smirked, before stopping right in front of him and putting my hands on my hips. Unlike yesterday, he definitely went all out with his stripes tonight, but I wasn't complaining.

"Actually, I was gonna say stunning, but you definitely look hot too," he replied, gently taking my hand and sliding something onto my wrist. A corsage with a dark red lily on it, much like the lily one he'd left for me this morning.

"Why, thank you…. Stretch," I said teasingly, linking my arm with his as the bus pulled up.

* * *

I couldn't help but be shocked once we'd entered the gym. I had to hand it to the Homecoming Committee; they definitely outdid themselves this time. Since Gwen was their president, I was honestly expecting the gym to look like inside of Barbie's dream house, or something along those lines…

Glancing over, I spotted Layla and Ethan by the snack table. I really wanted to go talk to them, but I also didn't want to ditch Lash.

"Go ahead," he spoke up, before placing a kiss on my temple. "I'll go find Speed and you can come find me when you're done."

"Works for me," I replied.

"Taryn, you look awesome!" Layla exclaimed, pulling me into a hug as I made my way towards them.

"Thanks, girl!" I said, giving her a once over. "And you look very nice tonight yourself, Layla."

Layla had ditched her normal hippy-esque attire and braids for the night, and opted for a long, green dress and waterfall curls. She really did look radiant.

"Thank you!" she beamed.

"So, where's Warren at?" I asked, glancing around. "I thought for sure he'd be here by now."

"I am." a deep voice said behind us. Both of us immediately turned around to face him. Layla wasn't the only one who looked nice tonight. Warren was donning a tuxedo and he'd also decided to keep his hair down.

"I've gotta say Peace, you really clean up nice," I said, nodding my head in approval.

"Thanks, Taryn," he replied, giving me a small smirk.

"I thought you weren't going to rent a tux?" Layla inquired.

"It's my dad's. He doesn't have much use for it in solitary," he mumbled.

_And this conversation just went from good to awkward…_

Layla was quick to change the subject and quickly grabbed a random hors d'oeuvre off the snack table and held it up to him. "Cheese cube?"

Warren just gave her a weird look while I rubbed my temple.

"Way to lighten the mood, Layla," I snickered, playfully nudging her.

"So, where's Rubber Boy at?" Warren cut in. "I saw you guys walk in together… Wait; don't tell me he ditched you to go talk to that fat douche?"

"Easy there, Warren," I said playfully. "We agreed to catch up with our friends first, so no, he didn't ditch me. However, I do wanna share a dance or two with him before the night ends, so I'll catch ya'll later."

"Miss me already?" Lash joked as I walked over to him.

"You could say that," I replied with a giggle as he wrapped his arm around his waist.

He turned his head to look over at the dance floor for about five seconds, and then he looked at me again. "Wanna dance?" he asked quietly, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

"I thought you'd never ask," I said, giving him a wink before intertwining my fingers with his.

_We were strangers, starting out on a journey_

_Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through_

_Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you_

I couldn't help but smile at the song choice as our bodies began to sway to the music in the middle of the dance floor. I tangled my fingers in his hair as they rested on the back of his neck. He pulled me closer to him with one arm while he tenderly stroked my cheek with his thumb.

_No one told me I was going to find you_

_Unexpected, what you did to my heart_

_When I lost hope, you were there to remind me_

_This is the start_

_And life is a road that I wanna keep going_

_Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing_

_Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I wanna be standing_

_At the beginning with you_

I smiled at him as he spun me outward and then back into his arms, where he held me in a warm embrace. "You know, it seems like only yesterday you were asking me to call you and I answered your request by flipping you off," I murmured, resting my head on his chest.

He chuckled and lightly kissed my head. "You forgot to mention that you also burned my hand."

I lifted my head upwards to look at him. "Hey, I tried to warn you, but no, you decided to add more fuel to the fire."

Lash smirked and lifted his hand to brush a stray curl away from my face and tucked it by my ear, casually tracing his fingers along my jawline after he did so. "I've gotta say though, getting burned by you more times than I can count was definitely worth it."

"And why's that?"

"Because I got you in the end."

_We were strangers_

_On a crazy adventure_

_Never dreaming that dreams would come true_

_Now here we stand unafraid of the future_

_At the beginning with you_

_And life is a road I wanna keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is road now and forever_

_Wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I wanna be standing_

_At the beginning with you_

At that point, Lash leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, causing a sudden burst of passion to explode within me once more. His tongue grazed my bottom lip, and I willingly granted him entry. He used his elasticity to wrap his arms around me, and I retaliated by grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him closer.

_Knew there was somebody somewhere_

_Like me alone in the dark_

_Now that my dream will live on_

_I've been waiting so long_

_Nothings gonna tear us apart_

_And life is a road I wanna keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is road now and forever_

_Wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I wanna be standing_

_At the beginning with you_

_Life is a road and I wanna keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep going on_

_Starting out on a journey_

_Life is a road I wanna keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_In the end I want to be standing at the beginning_

_With you_

As the music faded out, Lash pulled away and brought my hand to his lips, gently kissing my knuckles. Then, a bright light suddenly swiveled towards the entrance of the gym, where the Commander and Jetstream stood.

"Welcome! The Commander and Jetstream!" Principal Powers announced. She stood behind a podium that was positioned towards the back of the gym.

"Hey, you wanna get out of here for a minute?" Lash suddenly murmured in my ear. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Sure."

* * *

As soon as we were out of the gym, Lash tightened his grip on my wrist and started to pick up the pace. Since I was wearing heels, it was almost impossible to keep up with him.

"Whoa, speedy, where's the fire?" I asked jokingly as he kept looking over his shoulder. "Look, we're all alone now and I highly doubt any teachers are gonna walk in on us if we decide to go in a classroom and-"

"Taryn, I need you to listen to me, alright?!" he suddenly cut my off, stopping dead in his tracks and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Look, the reason why I brought you out here is to keep you safe from what's about to happen. I don't have enough time to explain, so please forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"Lash, what are you saying-" Before I could question him any further, he abruptly tightened his grip on my shoulders and viciously hurled me against one of the lockers. An agonizing moan escaped my lips as the immediate pain rushed through my body faster than a bullet leaving a gun. My vision began to fade as I felt myself being lifted up.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he said quietly, before gently pressing his lips to my cheek. And then, darkness consumed me.


End file.
